Unwritten
by aussiesheila47
Summary: A preDH story, spanning several generations. The then untold story of the Potterverse. Rated for safety. Now abandoned, sorry.
1. Prologue

In between Book 6 and Book 7 I decided to write my own version of what we hadn't read so far. This is what happens when you let a teenage girl loose in the pre-DH Potterverse … scary stuff.

_Staring at the blank page before you  
Open up the dirty window  
Let the sun illuminate the words that you could not find_

Reaching for something in the distance  
So close you can almost taste it  
Release your inhibitions  
Feel the rain on your skin  
No one else can feel it for you  
Only you can let it in  
No one else, no one else  
Can speak the words on your lips  
Drench yourself in words unspoken  
Live your life with arms wide open  
Today is where your book begins

'_**Unwritten,' by Natasha Bedingfield**_


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter #1 What's With The Owl? 

_Ding, dong_, rang the Evans' doorbell. "Who can that be?" Miriam Evans asked as she stood up from the table to answer it.

A moment later, she returned, with an enormously fat man waddling behind her. "Lily? This is Professor Horace Slughorn. He says there's something you need to know?"

Lily looked up from her novel. "How do you do, sir," she said politely.

"Very well, thank you, Miss Evans," Slughorn replied, beaming at her. "I don't know quite how you'll take this, but … here, perhaps this will explain more eloquently than I could." He thrust a parchment envelope at her.

_Dear Miss Evans_, ran the letter inside.

_We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted into Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry._

_Enclosed is a list of mandatory equipment for all first year students. Term starts September 1. We await your owl by no later than July 31._

_Sincerely,_

_Minerva McGonagall_

_Deputy Headmistress._

Lily looked up. "Not be rude, or anything, sir, but I really don't find this a joke." Perhaps the man was on drugs. This was, after all, the 1970s.

"It's not a joke," Slughorn said gently. "You are a witch."

Lily's jaw dropped, as did her parents. "I – I – I can't be," Lily faltered.

"And why not?" Slughorn questioned.

Lily wished that he would stop looking at her in that infuriatingly cheerful manner. "Because – because –" Lily fumbled for the right words.

"Haven't you ever made anything out of the ordinary happen?" Slughorn queried gently.

Lily blinked. Now that she was over the initial shock, being a witch actually made some sense. Turning Vernon's tie a delicate green from its original murky brown, for example, or that plastic bag blowing across the street that had disappeared when she had become so enraged at someone's careless littering. Yes, being a witch certainly made sense.

Lily looked up at Slughorn and smiled. "Okay, so I'm a witch."

Slughorn seemed relieved that Lily had accepted this fact so quickly. Mr and Mrs Evans were mute with shock.

Lily read over the letter again. "What does it mean, they 'await my owl'?"

"Whether or not you wish to attend Hogwarts," Slughorn clarified.

Lily nodded to show her understanding. "Are you a wizard?"

Mrs Evans made a noise as though to reprimand her daughter for being so rude, but Lily didn't care.

"Why, yes, as a matter of fact, I am," Slughorn drew himself up proudly. "Here – Levivinum!" Mr Evans' glass of wine rose into the air and hovered till Slughorn said, "Liberavinum!" when it floated back onto the tabletop.

"Where is this Hogwarts?" Mr Evans asked, having read the letter over Lily's shoulder.

"Scotland," Slughorn replied.

"You can't possibly expect us to move up to –" Mrs Evans began.

"It's a boarding school," Slughorn elaborated.

"I'll be fine, Mama," Lily said placatingly. _Finally, I'll fit in somewhere_. "Erm, are you – are you a teacher at Hogwarts?"

"Potions," Slughorn stated. "And I am also Head of Slytherin House."

"House?" Lily repeated apprehensively.

"There are four houses," Slughorn began, and he was off, explaining everything Lily needed to know, from the exchange rate of pounds to whatever Galleons were ("As of this morning, my dear.") to suggested wide reading and including about the 'pure-blood' prejudice and Lord Voldemort.

"How do you get to this Diagon Alley place?" Lily asked once he had finished.

Slughorn explained about Tom the barman, but then he offered to take Lily himself. Lily accepted gratefully.

HPHPHPHP

"I swear to Merlin, Sirius Orion Black, if you do not receive your Hogwarts letter today, I will –" Mrs Black's word were cut off by a handsome screech owl flying out of the fireplace and landing in Regulus' cereal.

"Kreacher!" Regulus shrieked. "Get this filthy bird out of my breakfast!"

"Who would be writing to you?" Mr Black asked.

Sirius relieved the owl of its letter. "Father, I don't know that this owl is particularly reliable. This letter has my name on it."

Everyone in the room, including Kreacher, turned to look at him.

"I think it's my Hogwarts letter," Sirius continued, slitting the envelope open. He read it quickly, then looked up. "It is my Hogwarts letter. I guess that you won't have to do that awful torture that you never finished telling me about, Mother."

Mrs Black scowled as her eldest son flashed her his 'innocent' grin. She had it on good authority from Kreacher that Sirius practiced it in front of the mirror every morning.

HPHPHPHP

"Jamsie, dear, I think you'll get your Hogwarts letter today," Mrs Potter informed her son.

"Mum!" James yelped. "How many times do I have to tell you to not call me 'Jamsie'?"

_Crash!_

"What was that?" Mr Potter lumbered into the dining room. "Noddy! Where's my coffee?"

The Potter house-elf, Noddy, bustled in with a tray. "Here is Master's coffee, and Master James' Hogwarts letter," he squeaked.

"That crash was an owl?" Mrs Potter asked wearily. Mr Potter shrugged and sipped his coffee, even though it was piping hot.

James, on the other hand, snatched the letter from the tray and ripped open the envelope feverishly. "I suppose you were right, Mum," he murmured as scanned the parchment. Then an idea came to him and his face lit up even more. "Can we go to Diagon Alley, today? Please, Mum? Please, Dad? Please?"

"I suppose," Mrs Potter conceded reluctantly. What with that idiot calling himself 'Lord Voldemort' out there, going out was dangerous – especially if you didn't hold with the 'pure-blood' mentality, and your surname happened to be one that was connected favourably with Dumbledore.

HPHPHPHP

Another crash sounded against a window, this time at the Lupins'.

"What was that?" squealed Mrs Lupin.

"Remus, look out the window, will you?" asked Mr Lupin.

"Yes, Father," Remus said obediently, and he stood up from the dining table, returning two minutes later with a dazed-looking barn low in his arms and a radiant expression on his face. "Father – it's from Hogwarts!"

"What?" yelped Mr Lupin. "Hogwarts? As in the school?"

"I assume so," Remus replied. "May I open it, or would you like to?"

"You open it," Mr Lupin replied, smiling at his son. "You earned it."

Remus and his father had attended a hearing the month before, in front of the Wizengamot and the board of governors, to decide on whether or not Remus would be allowed to go. Remus flashed his father an excited grin and neatly slit the envelope open, retrieving the parchment inside with trembling fingers.

_Dear Mr Lupin_

_Your case has been looked over extensively and the Wizengamot and the board of governors have agreed to allow you to attend Hogwarts. We the school are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted. Please find enclosed a list of mandatory requirements for all first year students, and a note detailing arrangements for the full moon. Term starts September 1. We await your owl by no longer than July 31._

_Yours sincerely,_

_Minerva McGonagall_

_Deputy Headmistress_

Remus looked up. "Will everyone know about my … about it, I mean?"

"Why don't you look at the note about the full moon," Mr Lupin suggested sombrely. "Perhaps it will say."

"Teachers have been informed," Remus murmured as he scanned the second piece of parchment. "You – I mean, I – should only tell trustworthy students, if at all … The school nurse will take you – I mean, I – to a safe house for transformation … OK, I get it." He looked up. "Will we be going to Diagon Alley?" Remus named the street of shops as though it was heaven. He had never been there before, so in a way, it was – he had never been to heaven, either.

**A.N: After writing, I realised that Slughorn couldn't have been the one to introduce Lily to the wizarding world, as he would have known that she was Muggleborn. Ah, well, I'm not changing it. Like I said before, this is pre-DH so Lily and Severus **_**are not**_** friends and they live nowhere near each other. Reviews are always appreciated.**


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter #2 At Diagon Alley 

Lily gazed around Flourish and Blott's in awe. There were so many books! "I could go mad in here," she murmured.

Slughorn beamed at her. "A bookworm, are you?"

"If I wasn't before, I certainly will be now, what with all of these to get through," Lily indicated the many shelves.

Slughorn chuckled. "Oh, m'dear, you only need what's on your booklist! And those books I mentioned the other day would help, as well." He steered the redhead over to a prominent bookstand, where resided several copies of 'Muggle To Magic – The Transition Between Our Worlds' by Eldred Worple. "An old student of mine wrote this – it's very comprehensive." It was also rather heavy.

Next stop was Madam Malkin's Robes For All Occasions. Another girl was standing on a stool. Slughorn waited outside. Through the window Lily observed many people stop by him and have a little chat. _He certainly gets around._

"Hello," said the girl. "Are you starting at Hogwarts this year?"

"Yes," Lily replied, as she was prompted onto another stool by the assistant. "Are you?"

"Yes," the girl confessed. She had a Mediterranean appearance and a well-bred accent. "What's your name?"

"Lily Evans. You?"

"Esperanza Castilla," the girl replied. "Peri for short. Where do you live?" Peri added as she dropped her arms and shook the sleeves down. Madam Malkin pinned them up again.

"Surrey. Where do you live?" Lily lifted her arms so that the assistant could pin the bottom hem to a safer length.

"Angelsea," Peri replied.

"That's you done, dearie," Madam Malkin informed Peri.

Peri jumped off the stool and looked up at Lily. "Meet you on the train?"

"Er, all right." _Train? What train? No one's mentioned a train!_

"Ah, Lily, you have your robes? Florean, this is Lily Evans. Lily, this is Florean Fortescue, grandson of the late Headmaster. Florean is Head Boy this year. Lily will be a first year," he added to the tall blond boy, who smiled haltingly at Lily. "Well, m'boy, I'll see you at Hogwarts, then." Florean and Slughorn shook hands and the boy slipped past to re-enter the Leaky Cauldron.

"Where to now, sir?" Lily asked.

"The apocathery," Slughorn replied, pointing to the nearest one. "Two old students of mine co-own this one. They have the highest quality ingredients here."

_He has a lot of old students. Either Hogwarts is huge, or he's been teaching for a while. And his students like him. He must be a good teacher._

"Ah, Professor Slughorn," A thin young man bustled out from behind the counter. "So good to see you!"

"And you, Gidgeon. How are you and Fabian?"

"Fine, fine. Our sister Molly is pregnant again, though. Just going through morning sickness."

Slughorn beamed, evidently thinking of the potential student he could guide to success. Then he remembered what he was there for. "Ah, Gidgeon, could you see about finding Miss Evans here the Potions ingredients for first-years?"

As Gidgeon bustled around gathering spine of lionfish and porcupine quills, Slughorn examined Shrivelfigs and Lily pondered why Slughorn had introduced her as 'Lily' to the Head Boy and as 'Miss Evans' to the shopkeeper.

After buying Potions ingredients, Slughorn led Lily into a variety of shops. After buying stationery, they made their way to Ollivander's."

"Best wands in Britain," Slughorn declared. _Another of his ex-students?_

Mr Ollivander was too old to be an ex-student of Slughorn's; in fact they looked to be about the same age. Lily decided that they must have been old school chums. Mr Ollivander greeted them in what Lily considered to be an unnecessarily creepy manner. A boy about her age was sitting on the one chair in the shop, but he gave it up for Slughorn.

"Now then, Mr Potter," Ollivander said to the boy, "why don't you try this wand? Miss Evans, I need to measure you."

Lily stepped closer to the measuring tape apprehensively. How was she supposed to know what it was made of?

"It's all right," Potter grinned. "It doesn't bite."

Lily rolled her eyes, then realised with a start that Ollivander was flitting around the shop, picking up wands, and that that tape measure was measuring her left pinkie by itself.

"Are you a Muggleborn?" Ollivander called.

"Yes, Lily answered. Slughorn had already explained to her about the issue of 'pure-blood'. Potter blinked. Lily noticed he had hazel eyes and very messy black hair.

"Which hand do you write with?" Ollivander asked, handing Potter another wand. Potter had barely taken hold of it when Ollivander snatched it back, muttering something about it being 'All wrong, completely wrong.'

"My right," Lily answered. _What does it matter?_

Ollivander took a while deliberating between two wands on a low shelf, then took them both out and handed one each to Lily and Potter. "Here Mr Potter. Mahogany and _length_. Pliable, excellent for Transfiguration. Miss Evans, _wood_ and _length_. _Strength_, especially suited to Charms."

_Charms? Transfiguration?_ But the wand in Lily's hand had grown quite warm and begun to vibrate. _Where's the battery in this thing?_

As Lily and Slughorn left the shop, Lily brushed accidentally against Potter and a boy who was just coming in practically ran smack-bang into Slughorn.

"Well, I do believe that that is everything you need," Slughorn declared, so they made their way back up Diagon Alley. As four different people greeted Slughorn at once, Lily saw Peri exiting the apocathery Slughorn had taken Lily to.

HPHPHPHP

Lily had enjoyed her first foray into the wizarding world. Robes were certainly more comfortable than she had expected, and she was really looking forward to reading the books she had bought.

Petunia, Lily's older sister, was not so impressed. She looked the younger girl up and down disparagingly. "Didn't Mum and Dad give you enough money to buy a black cat and a broomstick?" she enquired scathingly when they met on the garden path, before sweeping past to enter her boyfriend's car. Lily didn't understand how Petunia could fit, even with her skinny frame, in the same car as Vernon the Human Whale. But Petunia's insult stung a lot, mainly because she knew Lily was allergic to cats.

HPHPHPHP

James was used to Diagon Alley as his family often shopped there. What he wasn't used to, was a beautiful girl brushing up against him in a wand shop. In fact, he was so unused to it, that he almost ordered a salad foccacia in the Leaky Cauldron instead of his usual bubble'n'squeak.

"Are you all right, Jamsie dear?" Mrs Potter asked, placing her hand over his forehead to fell for a temperature. She was, after all, a Healer.

"I'm fine, Mum," James replied dismissively. "And don't call me Jamsie!"

Mr and Mrs Potter exchanged amused glances. Calling their son, 'Jamsie,' always provoked this reaction.

**A.N: Oh, dear, I can't believe how bad my writing was. Peri will become Lily's best friend, just so you know. Reviews are always appreciated.**


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter #3First Train Ride 

Peri looked around Platform 9 ¾. Lily's red hair was easy to spot. _I wish I had hair like that_, she thought wistfully as she flagged her over, _rather than this awful black mass._

"Hi, Lily," Peri greeted her. "So you got onto the platform all right?"

"As you see," Lily grinned. "I didn't really like the idea of walking straight into a brick wall, so I ran."

"Good idea," Peri commented. "Shall we find a carriage?"

HPHPHPHP

Sirius pulled his trunk behind him and made his way to a carriage.

"Sorry, but can I join you?" a voice came from the door.

Sirius hadn't even noticed the door open, but he looked up. A small, mousy-haired boy, with orange goo under his nails, was standing there. "Make yourself comfortable," Sirius shrugged, gesturing at the seats in the compartment.

The boy sat down quickly. _If I'm with Sirius Black, Snape won't hex me again._ "I'm Peter, by the way. Peter Pettigrew."

"Sirius Orion Black," Sirius said, as if Peter didn't know already. "And yes, my initials do spell Son Of a Bitch. She really is one, too."

Peter looked rather shocked. "Sirius Black!" came a voice from outside the compartment. Peter flinched; was Snape back already?

"Nice to see you too, James Potter," Sirius grinned. "Care to join us?" he added, in an exaggeratedly refined tone.

"Don't mind if I do. Oi, Remus, come here and be sociable," James added over his shoulder. He dragged a scrawny boy into the carriage after him. "Sirius, this is Remus Lupin. Remus, this is Sirius Black."

Sirius smiled warmly at Remus, who smiled uncertainly back. _Uh-oh, Black alert, Black alert. Breathe, Lupin, breathe._

Sirius had a funny feeling that this boy was a half-blood. They were the only ones who responded to him like that. Purebloods looked down their noses at the Black rebel. 'Blood traitors' like the Potters were considerably warm to him, not only because he didn't hold with his family's ideas, but because he wasn't afraid to say so, like his cousin Andromeda, who was secretly dating a Muggleborn. Muggleborns themselves had no idea of his rebellion and treated him the same as they did every one else. Half-bloods were slightly afraid of him –marrying outside of the wizarding world detached the witch or wizard. This meant that Sirius' attempts at rebellion didn't reach their ears – or, if they had one, their Floo network.

"Sit down, Remus," James commanded. "Sirius won't bite you!"

HPHPHPHP

"What's this?" Lily asked, holing up a limp stick of liquorice.

"Liquorice Wand," Peri replied, choosing a Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Bean with care.

"Does it do anything?" Lily asked eagerly.

"It just flops around," Peri shrugged.

Lily tucked into a cauldron cake instead. She didn't like liquorice.

HPHPHPHP

"I take it that you met Severus Snape?" James said, indicating the orange goo under Peter's fingernails.

"Oh, yeah. I dropped my trunk on his toe, so he hexed me. I don't think he likes me."

"You don't _want_ Snape to like you," Sirius pointed out. "He's the biggest git on the planet. I don't know where he gets off; making out that he's such a wonderful pure-blood. His parentage isn't exactly private."

"Hypocrite, that's what he is," James agreed. "Do you want us to get him back for you?"

**A.N: This is a pre-DH story, written and finished way before Book 7 was released. As such, DH canon is not being incorporated into it. Reviews are always appreciated!**


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter #4 The Sorting 

"Abercrombie, John," Professor McGonagall called. A small boy with a mousy hair and sticky-out ears stumbled forwards.

The Hat's brim opened up and yelled, "Gryffindor!" Lily was startled. _How can a Hat choose which House someone goes into?_ She wondered. In the meantime, 'Marcus, Avery,' was sorted into Slytherin.

"Black, Sirius," McGonagall called.

Sirius walked up to the stool, jammed the Hat over his head and waited for the little voice in his ear that Cousin Andromeda had said would come.

'Well, well, well. A Black.'

_Fine, judge me by my surname. Loads of people do,_ Sirius thought irritably.

'Oh, I do apologise. I take it that you would rather not join your family?'

_No sir._

'You would not reach your full potential in Slytherin, anyway,' the Hat continued, 'which is why I'm putting you in _Gryffindor_!'

Sirius heard the Hat shout the last word to the Hall. Grinning, he handed the Hat back to McGonagall and made his way to the Gryffindor table. He was in Gryffindor! He wasn't in Slytherin! He wouldn't have to deal with his family very much! Life was looking very good. Abercrombie shook his hand. Slughorn looked stunned.

The chatter that had been inevitable after the Sorting of a Black into Gryffindor – even if that Black was Sirius, a well-known rebel – died down when McGonagall called the next name, "Boot, Terence,' who was Sorted into Ravenclaw. Then, "Castilla, Esperanza."

Lily smiled encouragingly at her new friend as Peri dashed up. "Gryffindor!" the Hat yelled out, almost immediately. Peri ran over and sat down next to Abercrombie.

"Denning, Amy," McGonagall called. A tall girl who looked as though she had Greek roots stalked up and sat on the stool. When the girl was Sorted into Gryffindor, Lily noticed Peri hardly clapped.

"Evans, Lily," McGonagall called. Lily gulped, remembered Peri's eagerness and tried to control her trembling knees as she walked up to the stool.

'Hmm, you are a hard one to place,' the Hat said in her ear.

_Is that a good thing?_

'I could put you in Slytherin,' the Hat pondered, 'but the Blacks would give you a hard time and Dumbledore hates bullies.'

_Thank you, but I can't help being Muggleborn._

'I could place you in Hufflepuff, but you wouldn't reach your full potential there,' the Hat continued.

_If you say so._

'I could place you in Ravenclaw, because you are certainly bright enough –"

_Thank you!_

'But I sense that you would like to join your friend, Miss Castilla?'

_Yes, please._

"Gryffindor!" the Hat yelled to the Hall. Lily raced off the stool and sat next to Peri.

"What took so long?" Peri whispered out of the corner of her mouth, as 'Fung, Iris,' sat under the Hat.

"The Hat deliberated," Lily answered. Iris joined the Gryffindor table, next to Lily.

_Strange that nearly everyone so far has been Sorted into Gryffindor_, Lily mused, right before the next ten first-years were Sorted into Hufflepuff.

"Lupin, Remus," called Professor McGonagall. Why did all the teachers look so much more interested in this boy's Sorting than the others so far?

'Well now,' said the little voice, 'I do believe that you belong in GRYFFINDOR!'

Remus, grinning maniacally, joined Sirius, who gave him a hi-five. A few more people were Sorted into Slytherin, then "Patil, Pukkha," was Sorted into Ravenclaw, then Peter was Sorted, after some deliberation, into Gryffindor. The Hat barely touched James' head before it declared him a Gryffindor. Sirius was his loudest cheerer. James looked, startled, at the redhead across the table and up one seat. _My goodness, it's the girl from Ollivander's!_

**A.N: Like I said, this story is firmly pre-DH. John Abercrombie, Amy Denning, Iris Fung and Pukkha Patil are my original characters. The next chapter jumps into third-year.**


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter #5 A Hogsmeade Visit To Remember 

"Hey, Lily, wait up!" Peri called, hurrying out of the Transfiguration classroom after her friend.

Lily stopped and waited for Peri to catch up. "I can't believe the nerve of him!" she hissed.

"What did he do, this time?" Peri asked sympathetically.

"The Marauders just pranked Snape again, and then Potter had the nerve to ask me to go to Hogsmeade with him." Peri burst out laughing. "It isn't funny," Lily protested.

"Sorry, Lils," Peri apologised, wiping tears of mirth from her eyes. "But – you and Potter? On a date? Pull the other one, it plays Celestina Warbeck!"

"You keep saying that," Lily grumbled. "Toadspawn," she added to the Fat Lady, seeing as how they had arrived at the portrait hole.

"You rejected Potter, right?" Peri demanded.

"Of course I did," Lily snapped. "Are you mad?"

"Excuse me," came the guttural voice of Amy Denning from an armchair in the corner. "James Potter asked you out?"

"I don't like it any better than you do," Lily replied.

Iris Fung pushed her long dark hair out of her eyes and said, "Can we just do homework? Lily turned him down, Amy, there's nothing to worry about."

Lily and Peri dumped their bags by the chairs they were planning on sitting on, then sat. "So what homework were you thinking of, Iris?" Peri asked. She and Lily tried their hardest not to talk to Amy, who returned the favour. Poor Iris was left as the go-between.

"That Herbology diagram," Iris declared. "Then the Charms essay."

"Oh, can't we do the Charms essay first?" Lily begged.

"Certainly not!" Iris replied. "It's not due for two days, but the Herbology diagram is due tomorrow morning." The four girls set to work and for the rest of the afternoon till dinner, the only sounds that could be heard from their corner were, 'How many leaves on the left branch?' and the like.

HPHPHPHP

"Whoa," Remus said, stopping short at the entrance to the school kitchens. James was sitting on a mountain of chocolate. "What happened?" he called, wading through discarded wrappers. "She didn't reject you?"

"Right in one," Sirius informed him. "Catch!" Remus fumbled the Chocolate Frog Sirius chucked at him. _What cat-like reflexes. I should take lessons from Mrs Norris._

"What's the card?" Peter called, through a mouthful of chocolate.

"Dumbledore," Remus called back, tucking the card safely into his pocket. He now had a round dozen of Dumbledore cards. "It's OK, Jamsie. We're here for you."

James froze. "Don't call me Jamsie!"

"Back to normal, then!" Sirius muttered. "Look, James, take Amy Denning. It's obvious that she's interested in you."

"But I'm not interested in her," James protested.

"You barely looked at her!" Sirius said sternly. "You've been too busy staring at Evans. That kind of obsession is unhealthy. One day she'll file for a restraining order."

Remus was not convinced, either. Knowing James to be a not-exactly-tactful person, he asked tentatively, "How did you ask her?" He almost dreaded the answer.

"I just said, 'Hey, Evans, want to go to Hogsmeade with me?'" James replied.

Remus still wasn't won over. "Did you prank Snape just before it?"

"Yes, why?"

Remus sighed rolled his eyes.

"Oh. Oops."

"What do you mean, 'Oops'?" Sirius demanded. "That was one of my best pranking ideas yet!"

"Maybe next time," Remus said, ignoring Sirius.

"Look on the bright side," Peter suggested. "This way, you can show us what the good stock is at Zonko's."

HPHPHPHP

"You've never been to Hogsmeade, have you?" Peri noted, catching Lily's flabbergasted **(I've always wanted to use that word)** expression.

Lily shook her head. "Where do we go first?"

"Well, the Post Office is always worth a visit – hey! Wait up!" She ran after her. "What is it with you this week and running away from me? I don't bite."

"Oh wow. Wow. Wow. This is …beyond amazing. Oh! That's such a cute owl!"

Peri peered at the tiny bird. "It's a Scops," she declared. As they exited the Post Office, they passed Iris and Abercrombie going the other way.

"Where do you suppose they're going?" Lily asked.

Peri smirked. "Madam Puddifoot's teashop is down that alley," she informed Lily, tapping her nose significantly.

"Madam Who-si-what?" Lily blinked.

"Puddifoot's," Peri repeated. "It's a little café. But he must be keen on her if he's game to take her there." Lily raised her eyebrows. "Oh, I need a new quill," Peri announced. "Let's go to Scrivenshaft's."

"Didn't you say something about a sweet-shop?" Lily asked once they came out.

"Oh, Honeydukes," Peri clarified. "That's this way."

"Oh my goodness," Lily breathed. "Why do drugs when you could get high on all these sweets?"

"We should come back," Peri said, gently leading Lily away. "If we buy sweets now, we won't have any when we get back to the castle."

"Why do you have to be so practical?" Lily muttered.

HPHPHPHP

"Look at him," Sirius said, indicating James wandering morosely through the aisles of Zonko's joke shop. "He's so miserable."

"He did just come off his chocolate high," Remus pointed out.

**A.N: Yeah, my writing seemed to be a bit dialogue heavy … anyway, the next chapter is after the DADA OWL. Reviews are always appreciated.**


	7. Chapter 6

Chapter #6 Not Again 

Lily was elated. The second last OWL, the Defence one, was over at last. They were almost free!

"Come on, Lily," Peri tugged at Lily's arm. "We're going to go paddle in the lake." They linked arms and raced down to meet Iris and Amy. Over the past six months, the four had become fast friends as it became clear that James was not going to go out with anyone but Lily – and so Amy had joined the majority of Hogwarts' female population and became a Sirius Black groupie. To such an extent, in fact, that Lily had a sneaking suspicion that Amy had not done as well as she could have in her OWLs, preferring instead to gaze adoringly at said Black rebel.

Iris looked up the bank as Lily and Peri waded towards her. "Oh no. Not again," she groaned.

Lily followed her gaze. Potter and his mates were ganging up on Snape again.

"I don't know what they get out of doing that – Lily, where are you going?" Peri called.

"I'm a Prefect," Lily called over her shoulder as she reversed direction. "If Remus won't do anything, then I have to."

Snape was cussing like a sailor by the time Lily made her way through the crowd around the 'spectacle'.

"Wash out your mouth," James said coldly. "Scourgify!" Pink soap bubbles streamed from Snape's mouth at once, the froth was covering his lips, making him gag, choking him –

"Leave him alone!" Lily shouted.

James and Sirius looked around. As usual when he caught sight of Lily, James' free hand jumped to his hair. "All right, Evans?" James asked casually.

"Leave him alone," Lily repeated, doing her best to convey her dislike of James. "What's he done to you?"

Now that was one thing James couldn't say. After Peter had accidentally dropped his trunk on Snape's foot that first train ride, Snape had hexed him. Now, James and Sirius thought that that had been too harsh a punishment – especially for an accident. So they had hexed Snape, the first chance they got. Snape, git that he was, hadn't understood why James and Sirius had attacked them out of the blue, and so he hexed them back. James and Sirius didn't understand why Snape had hexed _them_, unprovoked, and so they had retaliated. It had gone on and on, and extra duels and pranks had occurred after Snape had insulted Lily or one of the Marauders. But James could hardly say any of this to Lily, this being secret Marauder business and all. So he thought on his feet, and answered instead, "Well, it's more the fact that he exists, if you know what I mean." _There. A plausible lie. Well, not exactly a lie, but not the whole truth, either. Though, I think she bought it. And the great James Potter makes the bystanders laugh again._

Remus and Lily were the only ones – aside from Snape – who didn't laugh. It had been one of the first things they had been taught as Prefects – no matter how tempting, never laugh at the victim.

Lily decided to take James down a peg or two. "You think you're funny," she said coldly. "But you're just an arrogant, bullying toerag, Potter." In retrospect, she realised she should have realised what was going to happen next.

James tried to bribe her. "I will if you go out with me, Evans," he said quickly.

_When will he learn to use her first name, dammit!_ Remus thought.

"Go on," James continued. "Go out with me, and I'll never lay a wand on old Snivelly again." _In front of you_, he added silently.

_Lay a wand? _Lily thought._ Oh, it's the wizarding equivalent of 'lay a hand'. Right, got it_.

Meanwhile, the Impediment Jinx was wearing off. Snape was beginning to crawl towards his fallen wand. Remus watched him warily over his book.

"I wouldn't go out with you if it was a choice between you and the giant squid," said Lily. Not much of an insult, but it was the best ad lib she could do, to make him get the message that she _really_ didn't like him, in any way.

"Bad luck, Prongs," Sirius said briskly. Lily's constant refusal of James' advances were tedious. Best to move on. So Sirius turned back to Snape, who was now pointing his wand directly at James. "OI!"

But too late; there was a flash of light and a gash appeared on the side of James' cheek. Blood flowed down his cheek and splattered his robes.

_Sectumsempra_? Lily thought. _Isn't that a little over the top, even for Snape?_

James was of like mind, only he actually did something about it. _Levicorpus_, he though savagely; there was a second flash of light and Snape was hanging upside down, suspended by his ankle.

_I __**really**__ don't want to see Snivellus' underwear,_ Remus thought, and returned to his book, flipping through to Vanishing Spells.

Lily, on the other hand, was finding it hard not to join in the laughter. But, remembering her Prefect status, she merely said, "Let him down!"

"Certainly," James complied with an upwards flick of his wand. _Liberacorpus_! Snape fell back to the ground, getting to his feet as soon as he disentangled himself with from his robes.

"Petrificus Totalus!" Sirius said. _You __**really**__ did not need to use _Sectumsempra_ on James, Snivellus_, he thought savagely, as Snape keeled over again, rigid as a board.

"Leave him alone!" Lily shouted, drawing her own wand. She was only just behind the Marauders, who were collectively just behind Snape, in the art of painful jinxes, hexes and curses._ Remus, do something. Please do something. If I hex them, I'm only sinking to their level._

"Ah, Evans, don't make me hex you," James said earnestly. Though the Witches' Liberation was going on, Gryffindors were supposed to be chivalrous.

"Take the curse off him, then!"

James sighed deeply; it had, after all, been Sirius who had hexed Snape that time, but he complied with his reluctantly beloved's wishes and muttered the counter-curse. "There you go," he said resentfully as Snape struggled to his feet again. "You're lucky Evans was here, Snivellus."

_Use her given name, dammit_, Remus thought.

"I don't need help from filthy little Mudbloods like her!" Snape snarled.

_You'll pay for that one, Snivellus_, James thought angrily. _You're just bitter that a Muggle-born witch beats you continuously at Potions._

Lily merely blinked. "Fine," she said coolly, mentally praising herself for not running away as she usually did when Snape called her a – called her that word. "I won't bother in future." _And I wouldn't have bothered if I wasn't a Prefect_. "And I'd wash your pants if I were you, Snivellus." _Not to mention get some fake tan_.

"Apologise to Evans," James roared. As this was the first occasion ever that Lily had stood her ground in James' sight and hearing after being called that word, Remus felt that James could be forgiven for sticking up for her as he usually did.

"I don't want _you_ to make him apologise!" Lily said, horrified. "You're as bad as he is!"

"What?" James yelped, severely wounded by this accusation. "I'd NEVER call you a – you-know-what!" _That should pacify her. Sweet Merlin, all I did was stick up for her._

"Messing up your hair because you think it looks cool to look as though you just got off your broomstick," _Doesn't he know the basic meaning and application of hair gel?_ "showing off with that stupid Snitch," _There are more important things in life than Quidditch_, "walking down corridors and hexing people just because you can," _you great bully_, "I'm surprised your broomstick can get off the ground with that fat head on it! You make me SICK!" She turned on her heel and hurried away, even though James yelled after her.

Lily sighed audibly as she rejoined her dorm-mates in the lake.

"Well?" Amy said. "What happened?"

"Potter and Black were harassing Snape again," Lily began tiredly. "Your darling Remus," she shot a poison glare at Peri, who was crushing heavily on Remus, "didn't even look up from his book. Potter had the nerve to try to bribe me into dating him –"

"Ouch," Iris interjected sympathetically.

"And then Snape called me a – that word – again for interfering. Potter went all righteous but I cut him down to size. Hopefully he won't ask me out again for a while. I'm not daring to hope that he'll never ask me out again."

"No chance of becoming friends, then?" Amy muttered. Lily splashed some water at her playfully. Amy shrieked. "There could be blue-green algae in that, Miss Perfect Prefect," she rebuked her reproachfully. Iris and Peri shrieked and made to wade out of the shallows.

Lily merely rolled her eyes. "Would there be mer-people in the lake if there was blue-green algae?"

Iris and Peri calmed down. In fact, Iris calmed down enough to rebuke Lily. "You don't need to take out your PMS and OWL tension on Snape all the time."

"OWLs don't come around every month," Lily muttered.

HPHPHPHP

Remus entered the Gryffindor fifth-year boys' dorm later that afternoon to finds the hangings around James' four-poster drawn shut. So he opened them. "Prongs? Sure you don't want to go over that Transfig– oh. You're asleep." So he drew the hangings shut and left the room.

But James wasn't asleep. After taking out his OWL- and Lily-related frustration on Snape (who had eventually fainted and Evan Rosier and Walden Macnair had had to carry him to the Hospital Wing) James had gone to the kitchens, eaten copious amounts of chocolate, run back up to the dorm on a chocolate high, and collapsed on his bed with hardly enough energy to close his hangings and cast a Silencing Charm on them so that no one who came in would hear him crying.

He was fifteen, for Merlin's sake! And he was losing it over a girl! Sirius was right, he _was_ sick. Lovesick.

Lily had never blown up at him like that before. Granted, she had rejected him quite forcefully over the past year, but she'd never actually lost her temper – not even the time he and Peter had slipped love-potion into Bellatrix Black's pumpkin juice and made her confess undying love for Snape.

Why had she blown up at him? Sure, it was OWL time and she stressed over every exam but – and Snape. How dare he? How. Dare. He. He just couldn't resist, could he? Calling Lily a – that word. Again. As always, James had tried to rebuke the git, and what thanks did he get? A faceful of BS about his 'arrogance'. Lily and Snape were at least agreed on that.

Where had that unpleasant thought come from? Lily and Snape agreeing … that would be the day. Unless it was over some obscure Potions thing…

HPHPHPHP

Severus was lying on a bed in the Hospital Wing. Maybe those hexes and jinxes had given him temporary brain damage, for that was the only explanation he could give to the regret he was experiencing over calling Evans a Mudblood. Yes, that was it. It was the only explanation. It _had_ to be the explanation. How could he, Severus Prince Snape, regret calling someone by their rightful title? Especially if they were annoyingly good at Potions, and part of the Slug Club because of it. There was another mystery. How could Evans be in the Slug Club? For one thing, she was Muggleborn, a Mudblood, and for another, she wasn't in Slytherin. Not that, with her attitude – and parentage – she would have been Sorted into Slytherin, Severus was sure.

And why was Severus wasting time thinking about the mysteries surrounding Evans, anyway? He should be using this quiet time to plot revenge on Potter and Black. After all, they had pulled another unprovoked attack on Severus, and then had the audacity to command him to apologise to Evans. _Maybe I should have_, Snape thought. _OK, where did that come from? I took too many jinxes today._

HPHPHPHP

_How dare he?_ Lily fumed silently at dinner, shooting the occasional death glare at Sirius Black in Potter's absence. _How dare he try to bribe me into going out with him_? _I hate him_!_ Can he at least return the favour_?

And Snape. Oh. Snape. How dare he? How _dare_ he call her – that name? What did birth matter? It was who _you_ were, not who your parents were, that mattered. At least she could hold her own against the git in Potions, even when he hissed _that word_ across the dungeon. How could he call her that name, straight after she had stuck up for him? _Stuck up for him_. It was an almost unbearable thought. At least, for the first time, she had stood her ground, if only to have Potter stick up for her.

Insufferable gits, both of them. They made Vernon Dursley look kind and considerate of people other than Petunia, and that was in no way a good thing.

HPHPHPHP

Lily and Remus had a Prefect patrol to make that evening. Their selected route was of the sixth floor. They walked quietly in companiable silence. After all, if they talked, they would warn trysting couples and miscreants to their presence (or at least, the miscreants), thus defeating the purpose of the rounds.

Eventually, Remus could stand it no longer. James may have cast a Silencing Charm over his bed, but it hadn't disguised his tear-stained cheeks and puffy red eyes that Remus had seen when he had opened the curtains. It took a lot to make a fifteen-year-old boy cry, and even more to make James Potter cry. Lily had been too harsh.

"Er, Lily?" Remus whispered. Lily turned to look at him. "Er, I wanted to talk to you about what happened after the OWL today," he faltered.

Lily turned back to face the direction they were walking in. "Why didn't you do something?" she hissed. "They're your friends – can't you control them?"

_It's more a case of them controlling me_, Remus thought ruefully. "I think you were too hard on James. He was only trying to stick up for you –"

"He was only trying to hex Snape – again!"

"Keep your voice down," Remus hissed.

**A.N: I had no idea how to finish this chapter and I've never been entirely happy with it – the wavering POVs thing was a bit odd. This is a pre-DH story, but I shipped HMS Cliché (from Sev's side only) before Book 7 was released, and wrote accordingly. The next chapter takes place during the summer holidays between fifth and sixth year. Reviews are always appreciated!**


	8. Chapter 7

Chapter #8 Behind These Hazel Eyes 

_I used to stand so tall_

_I used to be so strong_

Before she had cut him down, James was on the top of the world. Then he stuck up for her, and she lashed out. Couldn't she see he was only trying to impress her?

_Now I can't breathe_

_No I can't sleep_

_I'm barely hanging on_

She was the reason for everything he did. Couldn't she see that? How was defending his friends such a crime? Surely she would do the same for her own friends.

_Here I am once again_

_I'm torn into pieces_

_Can't deny it, can't pretend_

_Just thought you were the one_

Why did she keep rejecting him? If she'd only get to know him, she would realise that he wasn't so bad … or so Remus was trying to convince him.

_Broken up, deep inside_

_But you won't get to see those tears I cried_

_Behind these hazel eyes_

But it didn't take away his deadened feeling after each rejection. Knowing that she tried conscientiously to never break the rules, he had only ever asked her to Hogsmeade when a trip was looming ahead apart from that last time, but then again he had been under exam pressure, no matter what he had said to Moony.

_Now all that's left of me_

_Is what I pretend to be_

_So together_

_But so broken up inside_

He did try not to let her see how much it hurt him, especially in public. After all, he had a Marauder reputation he was hoping would remain untarnished.

_Cause I can't breathe_

_No I can't sleep_

_I'm barely hanging on_

Strange, really, that no Marauder had ever been on a date. Merlin knew how many girls swooned over them. Wormtail – well, Wormtail was never going to get a date, he was too short and fat, and definitely not the sharpest quill in Scrivenshaft's. Sirius took no notice of his many fangirls; he was far to busy with plotting pranks, trying to get out of detentions, and foul-mouthing his blood-obsessed family. And then there were Slughorn's parties every other Saturday night…

Remus had never looked at any girl but Lily's best friend. What was her name? The Spanish girl, anyway. And James was reluctantly getting used to Lily rejecting him.

_Here I am once again_

_I'm torn into pieces_

_Can't deny it, can't pretend_

_Just thought you were the one_

Remus had sent a letter the day before, detailing several points he had come up with, to help James win Lily over. James ran over them in his mind, having burnt the letter before Sirius found it – Sirius having had run away from his family a week previously and come to stay with the Potters.

1: Start low, aim high. In other words, try being friends first. And to _be_ friends…

2: Call her by her first name. She does have one, Prongs.

3: Study with her. Why not ask her to tutor you in Charms?

That was a little below the belt, as Charms and Potions – the two subjects Lily was best at – were James' worst. Not that he was bad at either, but he just didn't apply himself as much as he could in those classes.

4: Once you're friends, she'll start to appreciate you.

5: Then – and ONLY then – you ask her out.

_Sage advice_, James thought. _But I can barely get her to stay in the same room as me._

_Broken up, deep inside_

_But you won't get to see those tears I cried_

_Behind these hazel eyes_

It was the hair, James reasoned. It had been her hair that had caught his attention, that day in Ollivander's so long ago. In the dusty yellow sunlight, her hair had shone like new copper. And more than once, she had told him to leave his own hair alone. _Wait – does that mean that she like it?_ He questioned himself, sitting up in bed. Sirius, on a mattress beside James' bed, groaned and rolled over. James flumped back. _Nah, she's intimated rather firmly she didn't like any part of me._

James looked at the photo he had snapped of her one day in the library.

_Swallow me then spit me out_

_Just seeing you it kills me now_

_No I don't cry_

_On the outside_

_Anymore_

He had not developed in the Movement Potion for fear that the photographic Lily would walk out the frame. And her photographic self hating him was more than James could stand. So he had developed it the Muggle way, and so he had a photo of his beloved writing a nasty Potions essay surrounded by ancient tomes and sheafs of parchment. It was her element.

_Here I am once again_

_I'm torn into pieces_

_Can't deny it, can't pretend_

_Just thought you were the one_

Maybe James would give Moony's advice a chance. After all, even James could tell What's-Her-Face was crushing heavily on Moony, who had probably employed these tactics on her.

_Broken up, deep inside_

_But you won't get to see those tears I cried_

_Behind these hazel eyes_

Padfoot was right. James was sick. Lovesick. For a certain copper-haired, emerald-eyed Gryffindor prefect.

But how to win her over? Evidently, grand Valentines and frequent date propositions weren't going to work. _Oh, crap. I'm starting to sound like Dr Moony._

James reviewed what he had to work with. She had said that she didn't like him hexing people in the corridors 'just because you can'. Well, was it his fault that they were Slytherin gits who foulmouthed people he knew and liked behind their backs, and really should have gone to Durmstrang? All James was doing, was extracting revenge. But since she wanted him to stop, he'd stop. He'd stop, and let Sirius fight his own battles.

James knew he needed to convince Lily that he had a sense of humour, that he wasn't arrogant, whatever Snape said.

She made him sick. Lovesick. That was why he would change. He would change, so that she would return his affections. Lily didn't need to change. She was perfect.

_But you won't get to see those tears I cried_

_Behind these hazel eyes_

**A.N: The point that I was trying to make was that James realised that Lily didn't want to go out with an obnoxious git, and he didn't want to her to think of him as an obnoxious git, so he started to change. I don't think it worked very well – I don't know how many fifteen-year-old boys cry, for instance – but I'd like to know what you thought. Reviews are always appreciated.**


	9. Chapter 8

Chapter #8 Behind These Hazel Eyes 

_I used to stand so tall_

_I used to be so strong_

Before she had cut him down, James was on the top of the world. Then he stuck up for her, and she lashed out. Couldn't she see he was only trying to impress her?

_Now I can't breathe_

_No I can't sleep_

_I'm barely hanging on_

She was the reason for everything he did. Couldn't she see that? How was defending his friends such a crime? Surely she would do the same for her own friends.

_Here I am once again_

_I'm torn into pieces_

_Can't deny it, can't pretend_

_Just thought you were the one_

Why did she keep rejecting him? If she'd only get to know him, she would realise that he wasn't so bad … or so Remus was trying to convince him.

_Broken up, deep inside_

_But you won't get to see those tears I cried_

_Behind these hazel eyes_

But it didn't take away his deadened feeling after each rejection. Knowing that she tried conscientiously to never break the rules, he had only ever asked her to Hogsmeade when a trip was looming ahead apart from that last time, but then again he had been under exam pressure, no matter what he had said to Moony.

_Now all that's left of me_

_Is what I pretend to be_

_So together_

_But so broken up inside_

He did try not to let her see how much it hurt him, especially in public. After all, he had a Marauder reputation he was hoping would remain untarnished.

_Cause I can't breathe_

_No I can't sleep_

_I'm barely hanging on_

Strange, really, that no Marauder had ever been on a date. Merlin knew how many girls swooned over them. Wormtail – well, Wormtail was never going to get a date, he was too short and fat, and definitely not the sharpest quill in Scrivenshaft's. Sirius took no notice of his many fangirls; he was far to busy with plotting pranks, trying to get out of detentions, and foul-mouthing his blood-obsessed family. And then there were Slughorn's parties every other Saturday night…

Remus had never looked at any girl but Lily's best friend. What was her name? The Spanish girl, anyway. And James was reluctantly getting used to Lily rejecting him.

_Here I am once again_

_I'm torn into pieces_

_Can't deny it, can't pretend_

_Just thought you were the one_

Remus had sent a letter the day before, detailing several points he had come up with, to help James win Lily over. James ran over them in his mind, having burnt the letter before Sirius found it – Sirius having had run away from his family a week previously and come to stay with the Potters.

1: Start low, aim high. In other words, try being friends first. And to _be_ friends…

2: Call her by her first name. She does have one, Prongs.

3: Study with her. Why not ask her to tutor you in Charms?

That was a little below the belt, as Charms and Potions – the two subjects Lily was best at – were James' worst. Not that he was bad at either, but he just didn't apply himself as much as he could in those classes.

4: Once you're friends, she'll start to appreciate you.

5: Then – and ONLY then – you ask her out.

_Sage advice_, James thought. _But I can barely get her to stay in the same room as me._

_Broken up, deep inside_

_But you won't get to see those tears I cried_

_Behind these hazel eyes_

It was the hair, James reasoned. It had been her hair that had caught his attention, that day in Ollivander's so long ago. In the dusty yellow sunlight, her hair had shone like new copper. And more than once, she had told him to leave his own hair alone. _Wait – does that mean that she like it?_ He questioned himself, sitting up in bed. Sirius, on a mattress beside James' bed, groaned and rolled over. James flumped back. _Nah, she's intimated rather firmly she didn't like any part of me._

James looked at the photo he had snapped of her one day in the library.

_Swallow me then spit me out_

_Just seeing you it kills me now_

_No I don't cry_

_On the outside_

_Anymore_

He had not developed in the Movement Potion for fear that the photographic Lily would walk out the frame. And her photographic self hating him was more than James could stand. So he had developed it the Muggle way, and so he had a photo of his beloved writing a nasty Potions essay surrounded by ancient tomes and sheafs of parchment. It was her element.

_Here I am once again_

_I'm torn into pieces_

_Can't deny it, can't pretend_

_Just thought you were the one_

Maybe James would give Moony's advice a chance. After all, even James could tell What's-Her-Face was crushing heavily on Moony, who had probably employed these tactics on her.

_Broken up, deep inside_

_But you won't get to see those tears I cried_

_Behind these hazel eyes_

Padfoot was right. James was sick. Lovesick. For a certain copper-haired, emerald-eyed Gryffindor prefect.

But how to win her over? Evidently, grand Valentines and frequent date propositions weren't going to work. _Oh, crap. I'm starting to sound like Dr Moony._

James reviewed what he had to work with. She had said that she didn't like him hexing people in the corridors 'just because you can'. Well, was it his fault that they were Slytherin gits who foulmouthed people he knew and liked behind their backs, and really should have gone to Durmstrang? All James was doing, was extracting revenge. But since she wanted him to stop, he'd stop. He'd stop, and let Sirius fight his own battles.

James knew he needed to convince Lily that he had a sense of humour, that he wasn't arrogant, whatever Snape said.

She made him sick. Lovesick. That was why he would change. He would change, so that she would return his affections. Lily didn't need to change. She was perfect.

_But you won't get to see those tears I cried_

_Behind these hazel eyes_

**A.N: The point that I was trying to make was that James realised that Lily didn't want to go out with an obnoxious git, and he didn't want to her to think of him as an obnoxious git, so he started to change. I don't think it worked very well – I don't know how many fifteen-year-old boys cry, for instance – but I'd like to know what you thought. Reviews are always appreciated.**


	10. Chapter 9

Chapter #9 Turning Over A New Leaf 

"Evans," James said pleasantly.

"Potter," Lily acknowledged his presence in the common room curtly.

"_Argenteo_," a first was saying, pointing his wand at a matchstick. Nothing happened.

"Excuse me," James said politely, and hurried over to the perplexed first-year. "Hullo, there. Having some trouble?"

Lily looked up sharply. James Potter was deigning to help someone? _Who put the Imperius Curse on him?_

The first year nodded. "It just won't turn into a needle, and I don't know why."

"Show me what you're doing to it," James said, frowning.

"_Argenteo_," the boy repeated, swishing at flicking his wand for all it was worth.

James smiled. "I see your problem," he announced. "It's the wand movement."

The younger boy was surprised. "That matters?" he asked.

"Sweet Merlin, yes," James replied, scandalised. "For this spell, it's more a circular jab…"

_Well, he could have told me that, when we were in first-year_, Lily thought. _And why is Potter the Great helping a mere mortal, anyway?_

HPHPHPHP

The Defence teacher for that year was awful. Professor Murmillia was built like an Ancient Roman gladiator and acted like one, too. In the first lesson he had them, he plunged straight into teaching the sixth-years every grisly detail they never wanted to know about Lethifolds.

Just after Halloween, he started the class on Patronuses. Lily, who had picked the memory of seeing Peri catch the Snitch, thereby securing Gryffindor's Quidditch Cup victory last year, had produced a wavery outline of a stag on her seventh attempt. _Evidently, I watched Bambi too many time over the holidays. And why do the Marauders look so surprised?_

Peter and a Hufflepuff girl, Amelia Bones, were having trouble. Neither was producing much more than faint silvery puffs. So Murmillia, who had already established himself as rather a bully, picked on them how to show the class how not to produce a corporeal Patronus.

Murmillia had produced a shining silver bulldog to demonstrate, but then again he had had several years practice. James thought his taunts were below the belt. Peter and Amelia had possibly never even heard of the Patronus Charm. Sirius was of like mind, and they told Murmillia so.

Lily, Peri, Amy and Iris, in the opposite corner of the room, exchanged surprised looks.

Sirius wanted to protest against the unfairness of the detention he and James received. James was forcing himself not to look at Lily. He was trying, really he was. But getting detentions for his efforts weren't exactly encouraging. Then he remembered that he was given a lot of detentions and that this was another one to add to the Marauders' total tally.

HPHPHPHP

James, Remus, Sirius, Lily and Peri were the only ones left in the common room at ten o'clock that night. For the first time in her life, Lily was glad. "Remus?" she called. "Can I talk to you for a minute?" She indicated the far corner.

Remus stood up and moved to where she indicated, as did Lily. "Yes?" he said, expecting her to ask when the next prefect meeting was, from the business-like expression on Lily's face.

"Do you, or do you not, fancy Peri?" Lily demanded.

_Oh, crap._ "Oh. Er, well, uh … why do you care?"

"I reckon you'd be good together," Lily smiled.

Remus' face lit up. "Really? I mean –"

"Just ask to her to Hogsmeade," Lily pleaded.

"Am I in with a chance?" he asked, looking her squarely in the eyes.

"Most definitely," Lily assured him.

"Well, if that's all…" Remus said calmly, wanting to jump and shout.

Lily blushed. "Er – could you tell Potter and Black that Peri and I think it was really nice of them to stick up for Bones and Pettigrew in Defence today," she said in rush.

Remus nodded. "I will." Lily's face visibly relaxed, and she thanked him before making her way back to Peri. As Remus made his way back to his fellow Marauders (Peter was out getting food from the kitchen), he thought that maybe – just maybe – James, too, was in with a chance.

**A.N: I am much happier with this chapter than the ones that went before it. What did you think? As always, this is a pre-DH chapter so Lily's Patronus is, for the purposes of this story, a stag, not a doe. Reviews are always appreciated.**


	11. Chapter 10

Chapter #10 The Student Body 

Lily and Peri levitated their trunks onto the train and made their way to the Prefects' carriages. Since Lily had been made Head Girl, Peri had been made Prefect to take Lily's place, for she would be so busy as Head Girl, she could not attend to her normal Prefect duties. Needless to say, Peri had been thrilled to find out that she would be spending extra time with Remus because of it – unless he had been made Head Boy.

"So this is what you've been enjoying these past two years compared to us mere mortals," Peri joked. Lily rolled here eyes. "You never said who the Head Boy was?"

Lily shrugged. "My letter didn't say. But I was hoping for –"

The compartment door slid open. "Hi Peri, Lily," Remus said jovially. "Mind if we sit with you?"

Peri shook her head, but Lily had learned by now to take notice of Remus' every word. _We?_ She repeated mentally. Remus entered and sat down opposite Peri. (Drumroll, please) James Potter followed him.

"Er, James, this is the Prefects' carriage," Lily said, frowning. Over the past sixth months, she had become friends – not close, mind you, but friends nonetheless – with James, warranting the use of first names.

"I know that, Lily," James replied, smiling sheepishly.

"So you aren't allowed in here," Lily continued.

"I know you don't like being wrong," James began, "but I am allowed in here. You see, Dumbledore went insane over the holidays and made me Head Boy." He drew the badge he had received in the mail out of his pocket.

Lily and Peri looked at each other, then at the badge sitting in the middle of James' suntanned hand.

"Well," said Lily, regaining her composure faster than Peri. "Er. That's … that's …"

"Really, really odd," James finished. "I know. So why are you here, Peri?"

"Since Lily's Head Girl," Peri began, but was cut off by the fact that James and Remus simultaneously shook a hand of Lily's each. "I got promoted to Prefect," Peri finished.

That reminded Lily of something with a start. "James – we need to give all the Prefects their patrolling instructions."

"Instructions?" James repeated.

Lily grabbed his arm and dragged him out into the corridor. "You two start patrolling the corridor when the trolley witch comes by," she called over her shoulder. Remus nodded.

**A.N: That seemed much longer when I had it written out in longhand. Ah well. Yes, I succumbed to the inevitable **_**Lily-finds-out-James-is-Head-Boy-in-the-Prefects'-compartment**_** cliché. Reviews are always appreciated!**


	12. Chapter 11

Chapter #11 The Lycanthrope and the Spaniard 

_Instead of winning what I want_

_I'm sitting here in second place_

_Because somewhere_

_The one I want to be with's_

_With somebody else_

_Oh god, I want to be that someone what you're with_

Nickelback – 'Someone That You're With' 

Lily and James and their dorm-mates settled back into Hogwarts fairly quickly. You must remember that they had six years of experience. Then again, it was NEWT year, so the teachers were piling the workload on; so much so that Sirius had a joke going around hat by the end of the year, his nose would be rubbed completely off. Amy had been slightly disturbed to find that the great Sirius Black wasn't completely infallible. But – the seventh years had dances. Lily was quite looking forward to them.

In fact, there was a dance on Halloween night, straight after the Hogsmeade trip. The seventh-years were restless all through the last two weeks of October. James didn't know if he and Lily were close enough friends to move to the next level and ask her out. Moony's advice had worked well enough, and James didn't want to mess things up. Remus himself was finding it hard to work up the courage to ask Peri, who he still hadn't taken Lily's advice on.

Sirius grew tired of James and Remus' constant worrying, and told them to get a move on. "If you don't do it," he said sternly a week before the dance, "someone else will. Or haven't you noticed their popularity?"

Lily and Peri, on the other hand, were rather more concerned with what they were wearing than who they were going with. Obviously Peri was hoping that Remus would ask her, but she wasn't going to let him see that.

A week before the dance, Remus plucked up his Gryffindor courage and made sure that he and Peri were the last people in the common room – apart from Lily and James who were engrossed in Head matters in the opposite corner.

When Lily entered the dorm, Peri was lying fully clothed on her bed (Peri's bed, not Lily's bed) grinning at the canopy.

"Remus asked you, didn't he?" Lily asked. Peri nodded. Lily squealed with delight. "I _told_ you he likes you! And now, here's proof." Peri only grinned wider.

HPHPHPHP

"Well?" James demanded. "Did you ask her?"

Remus nodded. "Should I wear a blue tie or a black one?"

"Can we talk about clothes in the morning?" Sirius groaned. "Did you ask Evans, Prongs?"

James shook his head.

"Why not?" asked Peter as he exited the bathroom.

"She said Trevor Boot from Ravenclaw asked her," James replied dully.

Peter and Sirius pulled sympathetic faces. "Ask Iris," Sirius suggested.

"She still holds a candle for John," Remus objected. John Abercrombie had been killed in the summer holidays. It had been rather a shock, because until then, none of the Marauders' friends had been killed.

"What about Amy?" Sirius countered. "Doesn't she like you?"

James screwed up his nose. "She's moved on to you," he said dismissively.

"Oh, great, another fangirl," Sirius muttered.

"She's not my type, anyway," James continued.

"What's your type?" Peter inquired.

"Lily, of course," James replied, looking at Peter as though he were mad.

HPHPHPHP

"Well, that was an absolute disaster," Iris remarked as Peri entered the dorm.

"What happened?" Peri asked. She had spent most of the evening dancing with Remus, so for the first time, Lily had taken a backseat.

Iris pulled a face. "Trevor Boot got drunk on the spiked potatoes and snogged two other girls in the arbour," she explained.

"Oh dear," Peri declared, and she hammered on the bathroom door. "Lily? It's me, Peri. Are you alright?"

"Go away," Lily choked.

HPHPHPHP

James, who had followed Lily when she left the dance, but hadn't been able to follow her up the girls' staircase, was lying on his bed, glowering at the canopy. Sirius, who hadn't bothered going (much to Amy's chagrin), was lying on his own bed in his Animagus form. Peter was taking a shower.

Remus entered, and knew something was wrong immediately from the expression on James' face. It was the same one he had seen after the Defence OWL, but as far as he knew, Lily hadn't shouted at James for over a year now. "What's wrong?" was all that Remus could think to say.

"Lily Evans didn't enjoy her date," Sirius explained after turning back into his human form. James was too busy fuming.

"Oh," was Remus' witty rejoinder. "What happened?"

"Her dolt of a date got drunk on some Firewhiskey-spiked potatoes and snogged two other girls," James snarled, either getting a hold on his temper or losing it completely. Remus was inclined to think it was the latter option, because James began to pummel his pillow as he growled out his next comment. James's pillow and comment, that it, not Remus's. "What an idiot!"

"So how was your evening?" Sirius asked tentatively of Remus, once James had stopped pummelling his pillow. James's pillow, that is, not Sirius's pillow.

Remus flopped onto his bed – his own bed, not James's or Sirius's – and grinned at his canopy.

"That bed, huh?" Sirius muttered. "Dancing's good for the sex drive."

James sighed. Remus, on the other hand, came back to Earth with the speed of a future pupil's state-of-the-art racing broom. "Good for the _what_?" Sirius rolled his eyes. Peter came out of the bathroom. Remus composed himself. "Contrary to what you might think, Black," he said dignifiedly, "that wasn't the prom, from one of those Muggle American novels you said you had to read for 'Muggle Studies'. Besides," he continued, amid Peter's and James' snickering, "if we had … you know, done it – I wouldn't be here right now, would I?" He blushed.

"Well I don't know, Lupin," Sirius replied, smirking. "You tell me."

"Well," Remus said, glancing at his watch, "we left three minutes ago – OI! You little –" He through his pillow at Sirius, who turned back into a dog with a yelp, paws over his ears. Once sure no more white missiles were headed his way, Sirius lifted his head, and gave Remus his best puppy-dog eyes. Remus rolled his own eyes.

HPHPHPHP

The Gryffindor seventh-years ate together the following morning. First lesson was Herbology, which they all took.

"Look, James, don't even start," Lily said flatly, as James opened his mouth.

"What?" James said indignantly. "I was just going to ask you to pass the watering can."

The other Marauders and Peri looked on in stunned silence. "Well, _that_ was anti-climactic," Peri muttered.

HPHPHPHP

"He didn't tease you about it at all today?" Peri said in disbelief.

"Not a word," Lily clarified. "Which is very strange and not at all like James."

"No kidding," Amy agreed. "Why don't we all sleep on it? Or would you rather fall asleep in Potions tomorrow morning after two late nights in a row?"

HPHPHPHP

"Prongs," Sirius said seriously, "are you sure you're feeling alright? You don't want to go to Madam Pomfrey?"

James looked up from his Transfiguration essay – _Colour-Changing Hair_ – with a puzzled look on his face. "Should I?"

"You didn't tease Evans at all about Boot," Sirius explained. "Clearly you're ill. You've never missed a chance to tease her about her failed dates before."

"She never blew up at me before," James countered. It had been the first time he had mentioned the Defence OWL since it had had happened.

Sirius' jaw dropped. "Moony, you didn't," he said reproachfully. "You didn't tell him Dr Moony's '_How to Get the Girl in 5 Easy Steps_'?"

"I did," Remus replied succinctly. Sirius facepalmed. "It got him her friendship, didn't it?"

"I thought he would have wanted more than that," Sirius muttered.

"I'm working on it!" James snapped.

"What, by not asking her to the dance?" Sirius countered. It was Remus' turn to facepalm.

"Can we talk about something else?" James pleaded. Sirius rolled his eyes. (Peter rolled them back) "How's it going with Peri, Moony?"

Remus' face took on a glazed expression as he declared, "Bloody brilliant!" Seeing as how Marauders only used that expression in truly extraordinary circumstances – usually after actually succeeding in getting out of detention – James knew that things were going splendidly. If only things were going as smoothly in his corner.

**A.N: If you ever get a chance to listen to the song at the beginning of the chapter, stop and think about how Severus/Lily it is … I know that the title of the chapter kind of indicated that Remus and Peri would figure prominently, but this is a Lily/James story first and foremost, not Remus/OC. On the other hand, Remus and Peri did get together, didn't they? Reviews are always appreciated.**


	13. Chapter 12

Chapter #12 Quidditch Fouls, Death Eater Style 

The roar from the stadium could have been heard from the castle, if anyone was up there, as the Gryffindor team strode onto the Quidditch pitch. The line-up the Captain had put together was impressive, to say the least. James Potter (Captain), Iris Fung, and Benjy Fenwick were playing Chasers. Sirius Black and Dirk Cresswell were playing Beaters. Peri Castilla was playing Seeker. It was the general feeling in Gryffindor that this team rivalled all three of Britain's at international level, they were so good and worked together so well. Certainly, they had thrashed Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff.

The roar from the stadium could have been heard from the castle, if anyone was up there, as the Slytherin team strode onto the Quidditch pitch. The line-up the Captain had put together was impressive, to say the least. Marcus Avery, Andrew Yaxley (Captain) and Regulus Black were playing Chasers. Christopher Moon and Theodore Nott were playing Beaters. Edward Higgs was playing Seeker. It was the general feeling in Slytherin that this team rivalled all three of Britain's at international level, they were so good and worked together so well. Certainly, they had thrashed Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff.

The enmity between the two teams was as great as the enmity between the Houses themselves. Both Houses had acted according to their creed. The Slytherins had done what was best (in the short term) for them, and tried their hardest to sabotage the Gryffindor team. The Gryffindors had used their chivalry and merely trained as hard as they could, bearing in mind that exams were approaching for another year.

Gryffindor scored twice in the first ten minutes, but then Slytherin scored fifteen minutes later. James scored again, but a minute later a Bludger came at Moon, who whacked it with such force as to knock Sirius off his broom. Play was halted for a minute as Sirius' body was carried off the field. It was a mark of Sirius' severe estrangement from his family that Regulus didn't appear to care. Several girls left the stands and tried to get up to the castle. Madam Hooch awarded a penalty to Gryffindor. James took it, and scored.

The game moved quickly, both teams scoring again and again. Gryffindor's goals were scored more from being awarded penalties than from actually possessing the Quaffle.

Suddenly, Peri went into a dive. Had she seen the Snitch? Higgs, riding a faster broom, certainly appeared to think so. Neck and neck, they plummeted to the ground. Peri pulled up just before crashing, but Higgs wasn't so lucky and ploughed into the pitch. Peri had performed a magnificent Wronski Feint! She returned to playing height, but Higgs, who had a broken nose and, from the gingerly way he was moving, a broken rib or two from the impact, was sent off the pitch. No fangirls ran screaming out of the stands for him, though.

"If there are any more injured players," Remus said quietly to Lily, who was sitting next to him, "they might suspend play. I mean, it's not as though either team has been training substitutes, is it?"

About ten minutes after this, Peri went into another magnificent dive, pulling up about ten feet from the ground. She raised her fist triumphantly into the air. Through Remus' binoculars, Lily could just make out tiny wings protruding from Peri's fingers and fluttering.

Madam Hooch blew her whistle. "Gryffindor wins!" she declared. "210 to 130!"

The other Slytherin Beater lashed out at an oncoming bludger in frustration. James had just finished shaking Yaxley's hand when the Bludger streaked towards him and connected with his jaw.

"Oh no!" Lily cried, and raced from the stands, following Amy's route to the Hospital Wing. Remus and Peter had slower reactions and though they tried to follow her, the crowd had become too great and they were stuck at the back of the throng.

HPHPHPHP

"How are your jaws feeling?" Remus asked tentatively.

"Not sore, exactly," James said slowly, "just a little tender."

Peri looked calculatingly at Lily, but said nothing. "Tender?" Lily repeated. "But – you can talk okay, can't you? Sirius?"

"Yeah, I can talk," Sirius replied, and by a miraculous coincidence proved himself correct.

**A.N: I use this sort of scene quite a bit in my Marauders-Era fics (cough-Mistletoe-cough). But I wrote this one first. Also, I didn't know, before Book 7, that Regulus Black had played Seeker, so I didn't change it. As always, reviews are appreciated.**


	14. Chapter 13

Chapter #13 Revelations and Acceptances Part I 

James and Sirius recovered quickly back to their usual chatterbox selves. School progressed as NEWTs approached and more than one seventh-year suffered nervous breakdowns, Iris among them.

The last Hogsmeade excursion was also approaching, and, knowing that this would be the last time James could get Lily to go out with him while at school, Remus took it upon himself to make James follow Step Five and ask Lily out. To get away from it, James paid a visit to Hagrid.

But he had misjudged the date. He had promised Lily that they would patrol together that evening. 7:00 came and went and still James had not shown up for the patrol. Lily was becoming very worried and went to look for him, abandoning the study group she was overseeing.

She stopped at the front doors, which Filch had forgotten to lock. After being cooped up inside all week, the fresh air and twilit grounds were very refreshing. But Lily lingered a moment too long.

HPHPHPHP

James finally got away from Hagrid, who had been so pleased to have company that he had insisted that James stay for dinner. As he neared the castle, he glanced at his watch. 7:30. _Oh bugger. Lily will be so pissed._

Two students were trysting to the side of the front doors. James inwardly groaned. This wasn't going to be pretty. Even now, at the end of the year, not many people took his Head Boy orders seriously. But as Head Boy, he had to enforce curfew. He tapped the boy on the shoulder, the darkness keeping him from recognising either half of the couple.

Snape swung around. "What?" he said irritably.

James gaped at the girl in Snape's arms, horrified. How could she - ? How could _he_ - ? And Lily wasn't even moving – wait. Why wasn't Lily moving? "What the - ?" Had Snape put Lily under the Full-Body Bind? James didn't have time to savour the irony of this, so he turned to deal with Snape, but the Slytherin had fled. Lily fell awkwardly to the floor, which clinched it for James. He quickly performed the counter-curse and pulled the blushing Head Girl to her feet. Thank Merlin James had come when he did, or who knew what Snape would have done to Lily?

They started the patrol immediately. "That was disgusting," Lily muttered. "Do you reckon my dorm-mates will mind if I use all the mouthwash?"

James shrugged. "What made him do that, anyway?" The situation had presented itself in such a way to James that he knew that Lily hadn't _asked_ Snape to.

Lily frowned. "My good looks?" she suggested.

James frowned as well. "Sniv – I mean, Snape – can appreciate beauty? Anything else about him I should know about?"

"You aren't taking NEWT Potions," Lily muttered. "Wait – what? You think – you think I'm – I was being sarcastic, you realise."

James realised too late that he had relaxed his eyebrows too early, and had to contort his face back into a frown. "Why would you be sarcastic about that?"

Lily snorted. "I have red hair. How can anyone be even vaguely pretty with red hair?"

James remained silent for a while, trying to decide who to tackle that question without incriminating himself too much. "You pull it off," he answered finally.

"I wish," Lily muttered.

James became impatient. "Why do you think so many guys ask you out?" he hissed. "They aren't looking for high-brow discussions of Potions ingredients' properties!"

Lily stopped walking. "You too?"

James stopped walking too. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Lily started walking again. "You used to ask me to every Hogsmeade trip," she reminded him. "I take it that you weren't looking for 'high-brow' conversation either?"

James sighed and followed her. "I was fifteen, Lily. A lot of people are idiots when they're fifteen."

"So, you're saying that anyone who asks me out is an idiot?" Lily demanded.

_Is she trying to pick a fight with me?_ "Well, you have to admit, that Boot character –"

"I knew it!" Lily hissed. "I knew you couldn't hold off – wait. Why have you waited till now to say that?"

"You don't wanna know," James muttered.

Lily folded her arms. "Try me."

"Can we just go back to the original question?" James pleaded. "If a guy asks you out for the express purpose of a, erm," he cleared his throat, "a sexual encounter –"

Lily made a noise of derision.

"There, my point exactly," James continued. "You want more than that. And you want to be in a position of control. They aren't prepared to give you that, and that makes them idiots."

But James was wrong in thinking that Lily would leave it at that. "How do you know me so well?" she demanded.

Now James was really stumped. "Erm, well, we did have nearly every class together till we took our OWLs."

Lily shot a sideways glance at him. "Since when did you talk about the OWLs?"

"What is this, 20 Questions?" James muttered evasively.

"Sorry," Lily apologised.

"My turn now," James announced. "Is Peri dating Remus merely to humour him?"

Lily froze. _Did he just say what I think he just said?_ "What – what could possibly possess you to say that?" she faltered.

James became defensive. "Everyone shoots the messenger! Remus is, well, he's a little insecure about these things."

Lily raised her eyebrows. "Well, Peri really enjoys being with him. When they came back from the Valentine's Day Hogsmeade trip, she was on top of the world."

"Okay," James replied. "Can I tell Remus that?"

"If he can't tell for himself, then sure. But can you not tell him I told you?"

"He asked me to specifically ask you," James protested.

Lily frowned. She was doing that a lot tonight. "Why couldn't he ask me himself?"

"If you're not patrolling, you're usually with Peri," James answered. "Or one of the idiots." _Oops. _

Lily closed her eyes, willing herself not to blow up at James again. For one thing, they were on a patrol and it would defeat the purpose. And for another, he was merely stating a fact. Not to mention that it would take them back to where they started and James would start hexing Snape for no apparent reason again. Not that Lily cared about Snape as a person – especially after what had just happened – it was the principle of the thing that concerned her. She didn't speak again till they approached the portrait hole a few hours later.

"So, in your book, Snape's an idiot as well?" she asked.

"Snape's always been an idiot," James answered, his mind reeling. Why was she talking about what had just happened?

HPHPHPHP

"He _what_?" Peri, Iris and Amy yelled.

"Please don't make me say it again," Lily pleaded.

Three knocks sounded on the door. "Come in," Peri called.

The door opened to reveal two bleary-eyed fourth-years. "Is everything all right?" asked the one wearing glasses.

"Fine," Lily replied. "Please, go back to sleep." The girls left, closing the door behind them.

"Fine?" Peri repeated. "_Fine_? Lily, it was an unprovoked sexual attack! It is not, 'Fine'!"

"Go see McGonagall," Amy suggested.

"Go see Slughorn," Iris advised.

"Go see Dumbledore," Peri insisted.

"I won't 'go see' anyone," Lily said softly. "He won't try it again. He was lucky to get me on my own. And besides – the look on James' face!"

"James was there?" Peri asked. "James Potter?"

Lily nodded. "I think he came from Hagrid's. I know he came from outside."

"How?" Iris asked. "You said you had your eyes closed."

"He smelt out-doors-y," Lily tried to explain, realising too late that she left herself completely open to the chorus of 'Oooohs' that immediately came from her roomies.

"You're noticing how he smells," Iris teased.

"More his … aura," Lily corrected her lamely.

"This coming from a girl who doesn't give two Knuts for Divination," Amy said to no one in particular.

"No, seriously, James was there?" Peri repeated.

"I think we've established that," Lily replied.

"What was James doing there?" Peri pressed on.

"He was coming back in, I think," Lily answered, "He must have tapped Snape on the shoulder –"

"James Potter voluntarily touched Severus Snape?" Iris interrupted. "Has the Earth tilted off its axis?"

"You have to remember, it was dark," Lily pointed out. "I don't think he recognised either of us."

Peri snorted. "How could James Potter not recognise _you_?"

"Snape was in front of me," Lily explained. "Unfortunately."

"No kidding," Amy agreed.

"And after I fell to the floor, James took the curse off me and we went to our patrol." Lily thought it best not to tell Peri that Remus was so insecure about their relationship, even though James hadn't asked her to.

HPHPHPHP

"He _what_?" Remus, Sirius and Peter yelped.

"You hexed him, of course?" Sirius queried sharply.

"I was too stunned to do anything, to tell the truth," James admitted reluctantly. "But then Lily fell to the floor – the git had her under the Full-Body Bind –"

Sirius made a noise like an angry dog and Peter fell off his bed.

"– which I took off as soon as I realised," James continued, "and then I turned to deal with Snape but he had gone."

"Did you ask Lily about …" Remus trailed off, wiggling his eyebrows urgently.

James nodded. "She said that Peri's happy," he paraphrased, that being his interpretation.

"Why would Snape do something like that, though?" Sirius demanded.

"I asked Lily that," James said heavily, "and she went sarcastic."

"Uh-oh," Remus said. "Sarcastic Lily – never good."

"She said – or rather, she implied – that she isn't drop-dead gorgeous," James continued, nodding at Remus. Sirius raised a haughty eyebrow. "I know – very odd. I reckon she's insecure about it."

"Okay," Sirius interrupted, throwing his hands into the air, "I give up. Don't come and work at Zonko's with me. Go into Dr Moony's psychiatry practice."

"Psychology," Remus corrected him.

James rolled his eyes. By now, Peter had climbed back into his bed. Peter's bed, not James's. "Obviously, I shot that down," James continued. "But – Moony, I messed up. I mentioned my opinion of Boot."

Remus gasped. "You didn't," he breathed.

"I did," James moaned. "And she went very defensive. But _then_ she went all contradictory and asked my opinion on every guy who's ever asked her out – including me.'

Remus raised his eyebrows. "And you said to that?"

HPHPHPHP

"Damn, damn, damn, _damn_," Severus slammed his Potions book onto his bed at each ejaculation, relentlessly battering it. Why did Potter have to step in like that? Why did Evans have to be so conspicuous? Why did he, Severus Tobias Prince Snape, have to be in love with a Muggleborn, a Mudblood, a Gryffindor, the only person in the year who could beat him at Potions? He ought to loathe her on principle!

But he didn't and now Lily Evans – _and_ James Potter – knew it. Why hadn't the potion worked? Oh, of course; she had so many admirers that she would need to take love-potion antidotes every day. How stupid of him to not realise that. He and Potter were at least agreed on the fact that Evans was entirely too popular for her own good. Oh, Merlin, now he was agreeing with Potter. He really needed to have his head checked.

HPHPHPHP

"Coming, Lily?" Peri called from the portrait hole.

Lily shook her head. "In a minute." James still hadn't come down yet.

In about three minutes, James took the stairs at a run, leaping off the second one from the floor. Catching sight of Lily near the fireplace, he smiled and made his way over to her, as he straightened his tie.

"Look, James," Lily began, "I realise I never thanked you properly for what you did last night –"

"You don't need to," James interrupted. "I wasn't doing you any particular favour. I didn't recognise either of you. I was just trying to live up to this little badge on my collar."

Lily decided not to mince words. "You rescued me," she declared flatly. "I owe you."

"No, you don't," James protested.

Lily gave him a Look. "What do you want me to do for you?"

_Say that you love me. Marry me_. "Erm …" _Think. Think, you dolt. Think of something more socially acceptable_. "Could you … could you get off Remus' back about where he goes every month and what he does there?"

Lily frowned. "But that's not something for you, thought."

"Yes it is," James corrected her. "I'm going to feel better knowing that Remus isn't frazzled trying to answer the Head Girl about something so private, when he wants to concentrate on his NEWTs."

Lily looked down at her shoes. "It's just hard – I know that you and Sirius and Peter and Peri know –"

"Peri knows?" James interrupted.

Lily nodded. "I don't like being in the dark, is all."

"You should have been a Ravenclaw," James informed her as they set off for the Great Hall.

Remus and Sirius, who had been sitting on the stairs, out of sight but not out of hearing, looked at each other and hurried after the Head Boy and Girl.

"Slughorn keeps saying I belong in Slytherin, but he's Head of that house," Lily was saying as they caught up. "Now the Head Boy, a Gryffindor like myself, is saying that I should have been in Ravenclaw? Why don't I just please nobody, including myself, and become the eleventh Hufflepuff in our year?"

"Prongs," Sirius said, tapping the addressed on the shoulder. "Urgent Marauder business."

"Excuse me," James said to Lily, who continued on to breakfast by herself.

"What do you think you're doing?" Remus demanded furiously. "I can handle Lily – shut up, Sirius." For Sirius had faked a coughing fit. "Nice to know that you have such a wonderfully clean and pure mind. And for another thing, Prongs, why didn't you ask her to go with you to Hogsmeade?"

"I would be an idiot again," James replied. "And I don't want her to go out with me just because she feels obliged to."

**A.N: And another chapter that I had no idea how to end … ah well. Reviews are always appreciated.**


	15. Chapter 14

Chapter #14 Revelations and Acceptances Part II 

All exams were over. The students of Hogwarts were free! And everyone from third to seventh years was very excited about the Hogsmeade trip fast approaching. Not to mention the seventh-years were also very hyped up about Graduation.

In Gryffindor, almost everyone was paired off to go to Hogsmeade together. Remus and Peri were going together. Amy and Iris were going together. Sirius and Peter were in detention and couldn't go.

Almost everyone was paired off. Lily and James were debating even going.

Remus and Peri knew that this was the last time that James would have of dating Lily while at school. Lily, being a Muggleborn, was at risk every time she was off-campus. Neither Peri nor Remus wanted to think about what James might do if he had never had a date with Lily.

"Come to Hogsmeade, Lily," Peri commanded. Her Spanish temper was threatening to break through.

Lily looked up from her book – _Little Women_, which she hadn't had a chance to re-read since she was 11. "Why?"

"Because Remus and I have set you up on a blind date," Peri replied.

Lily closed her eyes. Peri had set Lily up on blind dates twice before. Both had been complete and utter disasters.

"Now, I know what you're thinking," Peri hastened to continue. "But, this one is different. You know the guy. You're friends with him."

_Dangerous territory, then?_ Lily opened, then narrowed her eyes. "You aren't setting me up with Sirius Black, are you?"

"No!" Peri yelped. "No, I'd never do that to – to you." She had been about to say, 'to James' but Remus had shot her a warning glance across the room. Remus nodded at her and returned to the piece of parchment he was studying intently. "Besides, Sirius is in detention and can't go, remember?"

"All right," Lily conceded. "I know you'll hex me if I don't."

"Too right I will," Peri replied, and patted her friend on the head. Lily rolled her eyes, mind buzzing with pondering who she was being set up with – and if he knew he was getting a date with Lily Evans. Lily was sure she had been asked out by every boy in her year (excepting Sirius, Remus and Peter), not to mention almost every boy in the year above her and the year below.

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James gaped as Remus led him across the crowded floor of the Three Broomsticks. "Lily? You're setting me up with Lily?"

Remus nodded.

"Did she – did she come, knowing she was being set up with me?" James asked.

"Why don't you look at her face?" Remus suggested. He was smiling, but Lily wasn't. She looked completely shocked. She definitely hadn't been expecting James Potter to be her blind date. Peri gave up her seat to James, and she and Remus left for Madam Puddifoot's.

"I didn't know, either," James reassured Lily once they were alone. "I had no say in this. Believe me; I didn't know I was being set up with you. I thought, maybe Amy … I wouldn't have come if I'd known –"

"James, stop," Lily said, holding up a hand.

James fell silent, realising too late that he had been babbling.

"Can we just treat this like the joke it evidently is –"

"I knew Remus wanted to get me back," James muttered mutinously, thumping the table with a clenched fist, "but I didn't think he'd drag Peri into it."

"What did you do?" Lily asked, eyebrows raised.

"Never mind," James said hastily. "Sorry – I interrupted you. What were you saying?"

"I was saying, can we treat this like the joke it evidently is, and humour Remus and Peri?"

James froze. Had the world tilted off its axis? Why in the name of Merlin would Lily Evans be suggesting that they act like they were on a date?

Lily might have been smiling, but inside she was hyperventilating. _What does he think of me?_ "It's just that, every blind date Peri's set me up for, has ended in … well, let's just say the guys might not be able to sire children."

James winced. Then something clicked. "You've been on blind dates before?"

"Only two," Lily said hastily. "And, you might already have been able to glean that they were experiences on a par with finding out that Petunia had married while I was sitting the NEWTs so couldn't come to the ceremony or the reception."

James pulled a face. "How do these disasters relate to this situation?"

"They don't," Lily replied. "I'm confident that you aren't going to try to get into my knickers behind Scrivenshaft's."

James blinked. "Who did that?" he demanded.

Lily's face clouded over. "I don't want to talk about it." Her face cleared up and she continued in a lighter tone, "We'll have to break it to them eventually that we were just pretending."

"We don't have to," James said, knowing he was flushing.

"We don't have to tell them? James, they _will_ find out."

"No, I mean," James knew he was turning a delicate shade of (no, wait for it) brick red, "we don't have to pretend to be on a date."

"Oh!" Lily exclaimed. She stopped inwardly hyperventilating. He was OK with this. But that didn't mean that she met his eyes.

"Just so that Peri can boast at your hen's night that she set you up on a blind date that didn't fail in the first two hours," James lied. _Oops. What was Sirius saying about that Froyd guy?_

_Hen's night???????_ "She'll enjoy that," Lily smiled, and patted James' hand._ Have to start somewhere._

"Aw!" Amy squealed, popping up out of nowhere. "This is so sweet! Lily and James, together at last." Her tone turned business-like. "You do know that your horoscopes say you're perfect for each other?"

James raised his eyebrows at Lily. "You've checked our horoscopes?" Lily asked blankly.

"Of course," Amy replied matter-of-factly. "Mind if we join you?" She indicated Iris, who looked as though she was going to cry.

"Actually, we were just leaving," Lily said hastily. She couldn't blame Iris for wanting to cry. Lily was having with James what Iris had had with John. "Nice seeing you, buh-bye!" Grabbing James's hand, she led dragged him out of the pub and they headed for the post-office. "Everyone says we're meant to be. Everyone! Why?"

_They can tell I love you?_ James thought, but he didn't say anything. They wandered around the shops for a bit, and ended up at Honeyduke's.

Screams sounded from outside the shop. Lily and James hurried back to the door. "Death Eaters!" James exclaimed. Lily caught her breath. If they saw her…

One of the Death Eaters pointed their wand at a huddle of people, and yelled something rendered inarticulate by the window. Remus and Peri dropped out of the group and followed the Death Eater who had yelled at them. Four more pointed wands at their backs.

James tugged on Lily's hand. "Come on. We have to do something." He had already pulled his Invisibility Cloak out of his bag. Ministry officials could do nothing here. "The one thing Professor Murmillia was good for was teaching us some of those hexes and jinxes that Snape is so fond of."

Lily was at a loss to realise why James would want to follow Death Eaters, even if they did have Remus, when Lily was a Muggleborn. But she said nothing and walked beside him under the Cloak. They broke into a run as the Death Eaters turned the corner into the alley that led to the Shrieking Shack.

"Oh no," James breathed.

A tall thin man with red eyes and a snakelike nose was pointing his wand at Peri. "Crucio!"

Lily froze, stunned, shocked, and not a little nauseous, as Peri dropped to her knees, then fell to the ground, screaming her lungs out. Remus drew his wand but the Death Eater who had summoned him, pointed his wand at him. Remus stepped back reluctantly. Voldemort lifted his wand, and Peri stopped screaming, but merely lay face down, shivering, though the day was warm.

"You monster –" Remus began.

Voldemort held up a long bony finger for silence. "No," he quietly. "It is you who are the monster."

Lily shot James a questioning look, but his gaze was fixed on Remus, who had tensed visibly.

"No werewolf can ever live happily among humans," Voldemort continued.

'Werewolf?' Lily mouthed. James pressed a finger to his lips. Peri hadn't reacted at all. Then it all fell into place for Lily. Remus was gone every full moon. James had called it, 'personal' and a 'furry little problem'. Remus was a werewolf. Evidently Lily didn't really belong in Ravenclaw after all, or she would have realised this before. _Oh, Merlin, Remus and Peri are being held at wandpoint and I'm worrying over whether or not I was Sorted into the right House. Some friend I am._

"Get up, girl!" Voldemort commanded as he nudged Peri with his foot.

"Don't touch her!" Remus snarled, voicing what Lily could not. Peri got to her feet. By now, she had stopped shivering, and fixed Voldemort with a defiant glare. Lily could not help but marvel at and admire her friend's pluck. "Are you alright?" Remus murmured, touching Peri's shoulder gently. Peri nodded stiffly.

Voldemort commanded one 'Fenrir Greyback' to reveal himself. The Death Eater who had summoned Remus and Peri stepped forwards, lowering his hood and removing his mask, revealing matted salt-and-pepper hair and moustache, and long yellowish fingernails on the hands protruding from his sleeves.

"Your name, boy?" Voldemort asked silkily.

"Lupin," Remus replied, knowing it would do no good to refuse his name.

"I remember your father," Greyback rasped. "He had the nerve to declare that his wife, a common Muggle, was perfect in every way."

Remus' jaw clenched. He felt the same way about Peri (except Peri wasn't a Muggle), and he wasn't going to let this person talk about his parents like that. What business of it was his, that Mr and Mrs Lupin were happy together? Then something fell into place. 'I upset him,' was the only explanation Mr Lupin had given Remus as to why he had been bitten. This must be it. "I remember your stench. You're the werewolf who bit me." It was not a question.

James gaped. _Fenrir Greyback_ had bitten Remus? Lily was gripping James' hand very tightly.

"I'm going to offer you a proposition," Voldemort declared. He had almost smiled at Remus' insult to Greyback. "It is, of course, your decision to accept or decline." He paused. "Join me. Become a Death Eater."

"Why?" Remus asked, surprising everyone there, including himself.

"I will give you people to bite, to become like yourself, as I have done Fenrir," Voldemort explained.

_He's crazy. He wants me to work beside the man who makes me endure pure agony every full moon. Yeah, sure. Maybe when the Earth tilts off its axis_. "And if I don't accept?"

"Well, then I'm sure that Fenrir wouldn't mind the absence of a full moon in his attack on the girl," Voldemort said in the same voice Lily had used when commenting on the latest flavour of Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans – goose liver pâté.

Remus gaped. Greyback licked his lips. Peri turned to Remus and whispered, "Love, please don't join him."

Remus swallowed. "Apparate away," he whispered back.

Peri shook his head. "I'm not leaving you."

"How sweet," Voldemort commented. Lily cringed, remembering that Amy had said almost the same thing about her and James. "You decline? How sad." But everyone there knew he didn't really care. Remus' was just one more life for him to destroy. There were plenty of others who would be eager to join up. "You leave us no choice."

One of the Death Eaters placed Remus under the Full-Body-Bind and propped him up against a tree. The poor bloke could not escape. Lily was luckier. She had James' shirt to hide her face in. James was as lucky as Lily, having her hair to bury his own face in. But none of the three teenagers could block the sounds.

After what seemed of an eternity of ripping, snarling and shrieking, Peri screamed, "End it! Please, end it!" Voldemort raised his wand and complied. The green light that exploded from his wand penetrated even Lily's tightly-shut eyes. The Death Eater that had cursed Remus, now removed the curse. Remus gave an animal cry and ran to Peri's body.

"This is why humans and werewolves shouldn't mix," Voldemort said breezily. "It always ends in heartbreak."

They made to Apparate away, but James raised his wand from under a fold in the Cloak and shot Stunners at them. Two found their marks; two of the Death Eaters who had done nothing but point their wands at Peri's neck ended up Splinched. Lily could not shake the feeling that Voldemort had looked straight and her and James before Apparating.

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"Count yourselves lucky to be alive," Dumbledore said heavily to Lily and James. "He knew you were there."

Lily looked up.

"He's very good at Legilimency," Dumbledore explained. "You've heard of Legilimency?"

Lily nodded and James nodded. They had come across the term in the library while studying for the NEWTs.

"He would have sensed your presence. It's a miracle he didn't kill the two of you, as well," Dumbledore elaborated.

"Sir, Remus doesn't know we were there," James said. "We went, thinking we could help – the Ministry wouldn't have done anything, couldn't have done anything, even if someone had Flooed for help instead of panicking and running back to their houses or into shops – but we ended up just being silent witnesses. Will there be an inquest?"

Dumbledore shook his head. "Thanks to your and Mr Lupin's testimony, we know for certain who did it and why."

"Would Remus find out we were there?" James asked. Dumbledore shook his head.

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Dinner that night was a subdued affair. The Gryffindor seventh-years were now two less than when they had been Sorted. Lily and Iris were crying openly; Lily because she had just lost her best friend, and Iris because Remus' anguish over Peri reminded her anew of her own anguish over John Abercrombie. Remus had not even put in an appearance.

Dumbledore called for the students' attention. "Today, we have lost another valued member of our school community," he announced. "It is not the first time, nor will it be the last. It is, however, the most recent, which means that the pain appears at this time to be the most real, to those who were close to Esperanza Castilla. On behalf of the rest of the school, I extend my condolences. A diligent student, a valuable Prefect, a caring friend; may she rest in peace."

**A.N: Gee, that flowed smoothly – not. Urgh. I'm not as attached to Peri as I used to be. Still, reviews are always appreciated.**


	16. Chapter 15

Chapter #15 Revelations and Acceptances Part III 

Lily stared into the dying embers of the fire in the Gryffindor common room. James sat beside her.

_I tried to give her a good time_, James thought. _I made it look as though it was just for Peri's benefit. Why did I have to go and say that? It can't benefit her now._

"I would have enjoyed today, if it hadn't been for .. you know," Lily commented, as though she had read his mind.

James blinked. "Really?"

"I do enjoy spending time with you, James," Lily stated softly. "But I have a question."

"Shoot."

"What did you mean; you wouldn't have gone on the date if you'd known you were being set up with me?" Lily couldn't have said why she was so bothered that a Marauder didn't want to date her. James had been the only one over to ask her out, and anyway he had stopped that after fifth year.

"I know you like me as a friend and I don't want to jeopardise that," James answered. _Is that vague enough? I didn't lie, and she doesn't suspect._ "I enjoy spending time with you too, Lily."

Lily was silent as she processed this. But she still had to work out 'x,' that look he gave her sometimes that she couldn't explain. And this statement of his only fuelled her suspicions. "So, you still like me as more than a friend?"

"Feeling a little blunt?" James gasped.

"Just answer the question," Lily pleaded tiredly. He had not, after all, denied it, and she was not sure she wanted him to. _Where did that come from? Do I really like James Potter as more than a friend?_ She anxiously probed her own feelings, not entirely sure why she was so anxious.

"This isn't the moment to discuss it," James said awkwardly. "Peri is dead –"

"Like I don't know that," Lily muttered. "Peri would want to know."

"She did," James muttered.

"I don't," Lily reminded him gently.

"What, it isn't obvious?" James asked, severely wrong-footed.

"Well, there is that look you give me sometimes," Lily began quietly, "but I don't know quite what to make of it." _I don't even know what I'd _like_ to make of it._

"See if you can live up to my Ravenclaw expectations of you and figure it out for yourself," James suggested. It went against both his better judgement, which would have had him denying it whole-heartedly, and his heart, which would have had him screaming, 'I love you!' at the top of his voice.

So Lily sat silently, piecing together all the information she had, and trying to reach a conclusion. Once she'd done that, she had to figure out a way to tell James.

"Can you be sorry for hurting someone, but be glad of the consequences, at the same time?" she asked finally. The embers were completely out, and the room was in total darkness.

"Care to elaborate?" James asked, raising a questioning eyebrow that Lily couldn't see.

"Well, I – you just – what I said to you, after the Defence OWL – Remus said I was too harsh –"

James swore. So Remus had seen him, really seen him, after the OWL. _Bloody brilliant_, he thought sarcastically, that being the complete opposite of splendid.

"But I think you really took what I said to heart –"

"Gosh, you reckon?" James muttered. He was getting better at the sarcasm thing.

"And you're a much nicer person for it," Lily continued. "And I'm grateful for your friendship, really I am."

"Where's the but?" James asked resignedly.

"Coming soon to a theatre near you," Lily joked. "Don't worry, it has a happy ending." She paused. "I think – I think you still like me as more than a friend." She waited for him to deny it.

"Give the girl a prize," James said to no one in particular.

"I said, it has a happy ending," Lily said awkwardly. She had not expected him to admit he still liked her. "I would have enjoyed today –"

"So you've said," James cut in, thankful that Lily couldn't see his brick-red face this time.

"You didn't let me finish," Lily said gently.

James mumbled an apology.

Lily took a deep breath, knowing that their friendship lay in the balance here and a wrong word from either of them would stuff it up irrevocably. "I would have enjoyed today," she reiterated, but then added, "as your date."

_Either I'm hearing things, or the Earth really did tilt off its axis_, James thought. "You would have enjoyed a date with me?" he paraphrased haltingly.

"Like I said, the but has a happy ending," Lily said sheepishly. "As long as you didn't try to go too far, too soon.

"Don't worry. I have a healthy respect for you, your foot –"

"Knee," she corrected him. "I don't care about jeans as much as I care about shoes."

"Okay," James said, eyebrows raised. "I have a healthy respect for you, your knee, all the nasty Potions you could brew up and force me to take, and all the painful Charms you could cast on me."

"Including the Shrinking Charm?" Lily asked playfully.

"You've been spending too much time with Sirius," James muttered. He tentatively put his arm around Lily's shoulders. She snuggled closer, and they stayed like that till morning.

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"So tell me," James said as he and Lily strolled around the lake after Graduation, "how did you discover that I'm in love with you?"

Lily blushed. She was still getting used to be being in a romantic relationship that worked. She was still getting used to being in a romantic relationship with James Potter, for that matter. "What you said after you rescued me from Snape clinched it, really. Either you were doing a very unique job of playing my surrogate brother and you were trying to figure out which guy I'm best off with –"

"Me!"

"– Or you were trying to tell me that you were willing and wanting to be in the kind of relationship I want –"

"I was. Er, that is, I am."

" – Because they're the only two reasons I can come up with for you paying that close attention to me," Lily finished.

James laughed.

"Okay, now you have to tell me something important," Lily grinned. "How did the Marauders get their nicknames?"

James sighed, but made a beeline for a grove which couldn't be seen from the lake's edge. "You already know why Moony has his nickname," he said as they made their way to the grove. "Being the Marauders, we help each other out and support each other. Remus has to transform into a werewolf every full moon? We're behind him all the way."

"But wouldn't that be awfully dangerous?" Lily asked quietly.

"You know how Sirius and I are top of the year in Transfiguration?" James queried.

Lily nodded.

"We and Peter took a leaf out of McGon – I mean, _Professor_ McGonagall's – book, and became Animagi."

Lily had dozens of questions to ask about this new revelation. "Are you registered?" was the first one that tumbled out.

James shook his head.

"I should have known," Lily muttered.

"Our nicknames refer to our Animagi forms," James continued. "Sirius is a dog, hence 'Padfoot'. Peter is a rat, hence 'Wormtail'."

"And what are you?" Lily asked. James transformed. Lily gasped. She could not help herself. Though she had seen Professor McGonagall morph into a cat and back into human form so many times she was used to it, seeing James morph into Bambi was more than a little out of the ordinary. She reached out her wand hand tentatively, and stroked the stag's antlers. "Hence 'Prongs,' I suppose." _And why the Marauders were all so astonished at my Patronus … oh my word, my Patronus is James!_

James morphed back into his human form.

"So, where do you all go on the full moon?" Lily asked as they set off around the lake again.

"You know the Whomping Willow?"

"The tree that almost took out Davy Gudgeon's eye?"

"Well, there's a knot at the base of the trunk …"

Once the explanation was over, Lily asked, "So this passage to the Shrieking Shack – that was what got you all into so much trouble last year, wasn't it? What with Snape nearly getting killed and all?"

"He owes me his life," James revealed. "Or at least, he owes me what was left of his sanity at the time. I reckon he's gone completely barmy since then."

"Remus said that that was the one time that you've ever actively and effectively stopped Sirius from pulling a prank," Lily commented.

"Why is everything related to Marauder business always, 'Remus said,' 'Remus said'?" James asked, with more than a touch of resentment in his voice.

"Because he was my one big leak on Marauder affairs when I was just a Prefect," Lily shrugged. Miraculously, they made it back to the castle with plenty of time to pack.

**A.N: Ack, I don't like this chapter any more, but I don't trust myself to write Lily-grieves-for-Peri. Like I said, I'm not so attached to Peri any more that it would turn out any better than this. Anyway, the main point of this was to write about Lily and James, and their relationship, not Lily and her friends. I had another three chapters written (James proposes to Lily, Harry is born, Severus overhears the Prophecy) but none of it was really vital to this story – even Severus overhearing the Prophecy. So this is the end of the Marauder-Era part, but not the end of the story. Reviews are always appreciated.**


	17. Chapter 16

Chapter #16 Isolated Incidents In The Youth Of… 

Harry ducked the punch his cousin swung at him. While Dudley was getting better at aiming, Harry was getting better at ducking. But then, from nowhere, Gordon and Malcolm lumbered up and swung at him. Harry couldn't duck away from all three of them, and resigned himself to another beating – the third that week. Piers Polkiss was leaning against a nearby tree, but he didn't so much as lift a finger to help Harry.

Ten minutes later, Harry came to. His head throbbed and he had an awful feeling he had a broken arm. Everything was out of focus, but that was normal. He couldn't remember anything ever being clear. Maybe that was how he kept getting into these fights; he couldn't see Dudley and his gang till they were right on top of him. And while he sat at the front of the classroom to see the board more clearly, he was earning a slight reputation as a wannabe nerd.

Harry's teacher, Miss Shirley, had seen him squinting at the board. She had not been teaching as long as some of the teachers at Stonewall Primary, but she had taught in several schools around the country, and knew a child with a sight problem when she saw one. She sent a letter to Mr and Mrs Dursley, who she knew, from when the class had addressed their Mothers' Day cards, were Harry's aunt and uncle, requesting an appointment.

Mrs Dursley glared at her nephew. "Your teacher," she said stiffly, "has asked us to come to see her. Do you know why?"

Harry looked away from the window. He could have sworn someone had just vanished from in front of Mrs Figg's house… "No, Aunt Petunia," he answered. But she continued to glower at him. "Sorry," he added.

"So you should be," Mr Dursley growled over the top of his newspaper. "Another one of your unnatural 'accidents,' no doubt."

"What colour did you dye _her_ wig?" Dudley sniggered.

Miss Shirley had had to deal with the Dursleys' type before; the type who clearly couldn't care less over their child, or in this case, their nephew. So, she knew how to. Deal with them, that is. Straight and to the point, and hopefully once out of her sight the parents, or in this case, surrogate parents, wouldn't ignore/yell at the child too much.

"I believe Harry needs glasses," she stated.

Harry blinked. Of course, why hadn't he seen it before? Of course he needed glasses. Then he would be able to see Dudley and his gang coming at him. Harry had a feeling that he had never quite appreciated Miss Shirley. What a pity that he wouldn't have her next year.

Though Uncle Vernon complained how much the glasses cost, Harry knew that there were more expensive pairs available, depending on the frame and the lenses – Miss Shirley's, for example. And all the 'four-eyes' insults he received didn't quite manage to dim Harry's elation at finally seeing everything in focus, and being able to see Dudley and his gang coming. Now all Harry had to work on was his speed at running away from them, for what was the good of knowing they were coming if he couldn't get away?

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Hermione loved Christmas. Since she was three, she had received a total of thirty-nine books from her relatives, and proceeded to devour them like the roast potatoes her mother served at Christmas dinner. But they had been well-thumbed copies of classics; several Charles Dickens, three of the Brönte sisters' works, two Jane Austens and _Lorna Doone_. Fiction was all well and good, but she could borrow fiction books from the library. On the other hand, she knew she attracted enough odd looks from her buck teeth without strange looks from the librarians for borrowing encyclopaedias. Hermione didn't even know if the local library allowed members to borrow reference books, as her school library certainly didn't.

So, Hermione was pleased to discover several heavy, rectangular-prism shaped objects wrapped up in festive paper under the plastic Christmas tree in the living room on Christmas Day.

"Oh, wow," Hermione breathed. After being told to open her presents in a certain order, she knew something was up. The entire family must have pooled their money for her gift – the latest edition of _Encyclopaedia Britannica_, one book from every extension of the family.

"We can't have you starting high school next year without the proper resources, now, can we, my precocious darling?" Mrs Granger whispered as she tucked her daughter into bed that night.

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"Brainless Mudbloods," Lucius Malfoy snarled at his wife. "I don't see how Bagnold's let this happen."

While Draco knew who Millicent Bagnold was, he didn't quite understand what 'Mudbloods' meant.

"What's a Mudbloods, Father?" he asked.

Lucius looked down at his son in surprise – for one thing, he hadn't realised the boy was up and about, having recently suffered a bout of the flu, but for another, for a Malfoy not to know what a Mudblood was, and worse still to use the term in a grammatically incorrect sentence, was unheard of.

"A Mudblood," Lucius was careful to impress upon his son the correct grammar, "is a witch or wizard whose parents _weren't_ a witch and wizard, but Muggles."

Draco frowned. "That can happen?" he asked.

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"Here, Ronniekins," Fred held a sweet out to his younger brother. "Take this, will you?" Trusting to his brother's tendency to try to eat anything given to him, Fred dashed out of the room.

"Did you give it to him?" George whispered, once they were out of the house and racing to the orchard. Fred nodded, panting.

Back in the sitting room, Ron was wailing. Molly Weasley came in, very disgruntled, as she had just managed to make Ginny fall asleep for her afternoon nap. "What's the matter, dear?" Ron poked his tongue out. Normally, Molly would have reprimanded him for such rudeness, but this was a special case. "Fred! George! Get in here this instant!" The twins slunk into the room. Molly forced Ron to show them his tongue, which had a hole burnt through it. "Which of them gave you the sweet?" she asked Ron, who pointed at Fred. Molly Summoned her broom, and while it was coming, reversed the sweet's damage, and started to wallop Fred with the broom once she had it in her hands.

George gaped. "Mum, that's not fair!" he whined. "Bill gave the sweet to Fred in the first place!"

"At least Bill would have seen fit to tell Ron what an Acid Pop is, and what it does!" Molly retorted, in between Fred's yelps of pain. Ron wanted to giggle, but that would have hurt too much. His tongue was still quite tender.

A couple of months later, Ron saw his chance for revenge. Fred's toy broomstick was lying on the kitchen floor. Ron decided to spare his brother the agony of one of their mother's lectures on leaving their toys in the kitchen where she could trip over them (as she had done several times over toy brooms and Quaffles and Muggle remote control cars), and snapped the broom over his knee. Ron threw the pieces into one of the cauldrons standing outside the back door and hurried up to his room, feeling very satisfied with himself when he heard Fred's yell. But Fred's yell agitated the ghoul and it started banging on the pipes again. "Oh, shut up," Ron muttered.

"Dinner," Molly called. The Burrow suffered a momentary earthquake as six growing boys and their little sister hurried out of their rooms to the dining room. Being the first day of the Christmas holidays, Bill was home. And Ginny wasn't his only sibling that was excited about that. Charlie wanted to hear about the Quidditch match that Bill had written about. Percy wanted to know how hard the lessons were, and what the teachers were like (Molly was slightly miffed that Percy wanted to move on from her teaching already). The twins were intrigued by Bill's descriptions of all the corridors and the Forbidden Forest. Ron, hugging his teddy bear tight to his chest, asked what the food was like, which made everyone older than him laugh. Ron was confused, and in glancing at his father for an explanation of the joke, he missed the dirty look Fred threw at him. Ginny threw a barrage of questions at Bill, all about what the Gryffindor common room was like, did he have friends in other houses, what were his Gryffindor friends like, etc.

Once everyone had finished dessert, the entire family adjourned to the sitting room. Fred fingered Bill's wand. Then he pointed it at Ron's teddy bear. Ron shrieked like Ginny had when a grasshopper had flown into her room. The bear was now a spider!

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Diana Lovegood smiled at her daughter and husband. "Darlings, I think I'm on the brink of discovering that cure!" she said excitedly.

"Be sure to patent it," Helios Lovegood reminded his wife. Diana smiled and hurried to her laboratory under the house.

Luna looked up from the crossword in the _Quibbler_ when a loud bang came from the direction of her mother's lab. That hadn't happened for at least four months. She heard her father thundering down the stairs from his office and knew that he would have everything under control.

For the second time in her life, Luna was wrong (the first had been the time she had refused to believe in Kneazles, but then her parents had bought her one). Helios had not been able to get down to the lab in time, and Diana had died in the blast from the potion. A Wrackspurt must have gotten into the lab, Luna reasoned, making her mother's brain go fuzzy so Diana would add the amoebas at too low a temperature, according to the notes Helios had salvaged. Luna had her first taste of Butterbeer that day. Helios had Apparated to the nearest wizarding pub and bought a bottle of Firewhiskey and a bottle of Butterbeer. Thus began Luna's cork necklace, as she engraved the date into the larger end with an old quill and strung the cork onto some twine she found.

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"Isn't there something you can do?" Augusta Longbottom pleaded with Healer Strout.

"I'm terribly sorry, Mrs Longbottom," Strout replied. "The only thing I can think of would be to put him under a Memory Charm. Then the nightmares might stop."

Augusta knelt in front of her grandson. "Neville," she said gravely, "do you want the nightmares to stop?" Neville nodded vigorously. "Do you want to remember what happened when the Death Eaters came to your home?"

Neville frowned. "Can I keep a vague memory of it?" he asked.

Augusta looked up at Healer Strout, who shook her head. "I'm afraid not, young Neville," she said kindly. "If the memory is giving you such horrific nightmares, you need it totally eradicated."

Neville nodded to show his understanding. "Where do I go?"

_The nightmares must be worse than they're telling us_, Healer Strout thought. _Otherwise the boy wouldn't be so eager to willingly undergo a Memory Charm._

**A.N: Well? What did you think? Disclaimer: I can't remember which fic it was that I first saw the idea for Luna's Butterbeer necklace, so if it was yours, I apologise for using it without asking you. And I'm not sure that I saw the idea for the reason for Ron breaking Fred's toy broom in a fic or not. ;p Harry's nice teacher's name is from _Anne of Green Gable_s, a series I used to read at least once a month. This is a pre-DH story, so Luna's father's name is my own invention. (Helios is Greek for sun –a contrast to Luna and Diana, which both mean moon). Reviews are always appreciated. Next chapter: some missing moments from _Philospher's Stone _- erm, when I get it typed up, that is.**


	18. Chapter 17

**Chapter #17 Missing Moments From Book I**

Hermione Granger caught a flash of red hair as she and Neville walked through the corridor._ Ooh, like Shakespeare's Portia!_

"I've already asked them," Neville faltered, but it was too late; Hermione had already opened the door. Two boys sat in the compartment eating sweets. One had was tall with red hair, the other had black hair and glasses.

"Has anyone seen a toad?" she asked, trying not to let the redhaired boy know that she was disappointed he wasn't a girl. "Neville's lost one."

"We've already told him we haven't seen it," the boy said.

Now, to have made the startling discovery that the boy was, in fact, male, Hermione had had to give him a good look. The main distinguising feature between fully clothed eleven-year old boys and girls was the length of the hair. But Hermione, being the observant girl she was, had not just looked at his hair. She was startled to find that he was sitting in dappled sunlight and holding a wand. His hair looked really nice in that light. _Get a grip on yourself, Hermione. He's probably wondering why you're staing at him. What can we work with, here? Ah, the wand._ "Oh, are you doing magic?" she asked. "Let's see then." _Let's see if you're any good at practical stuff, as well as being cute._

The boy cleared his throat, and aimed his wand at the rat on his lap. "Sunshine, daisies, butter mellow, turn this stupid fat rat yellow!"

Nothing happened. To the rat, at least, which, Hermione reflected a week later, shouldn't have been so surprising. Spells weren't rhymes, they were incantation, usually derived from Latin words. Then again, meeting Harry Potter had been quite exciting, even if he wasn't the cute redhead.

HPHPHPHP

Ron tucked himself into bed, feeling like kicking himself. She had been onto him. Then again, that couplet had been the best he could do under pressure. The incantation for Colour Change Charms that he had heard Bill telling Percy once, had flown completely out of his mind when she came in, like it was riding a Nimbus 2000. And, what was with the dappled sunlight she'd been standing in, anyway? It made her hair look very pretty.

HPHPHPHP

Pavarti ducked into the girls' bathroom. _Can't stay too long, I promised Padma I'd meet her in the courtyard._

Someone was crying in the only occupied stall. "Hermione? Is that you?"

"Go away," her dormmate sobbed.

"Are you all right?" _What a stupid question. If she was alright, she'd be in the library._ "How long have you been in there?" Another stupid question. Lavender had said that she's seen Hermione go in after Charms, and no one had said anything about seeing her since. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"I'll be fine," Hermione said evasively.

Pavarti heard the sounds of ripping toilet paper; presumable Hermione would be drying her eyes now. "Well, I'll see you at dinner," Pavarti said awkwardly.

HPHPHPHP

Ron watched Harry and Hermione walk across the lawn to Hagrid's. _At least they'll be with him_, he thought resignedly. _Wait – are they headed to the Forest? Bloody hell!_ Ron exhausted himself worrying about them, and finally decided to think of more pleasant things, like Quidditch, before falling asleep. It didn't look like they'd be back anytime soon.

HPHPHPHP

"Is it poison?" Harry asked.

"No, but it's like ice," Hermione replied. _Well, that makes sense, seeing as how I'm about to pull a Superman and walk through FIRE of all things._

Once through the fire, Hermione started to run. Not only to escape the stench from the troll, but also to hurry back to Ron. That fall had looked very painful.

She shook Ron till he came to.

"Hermione? What happened? Where's Harry?" He tried to sit up.

"Ron, lie still a minute. You might have a concussion." Hermione shot a Death Glare at the White Queen. "Harry went on to stop Snape and You-Know-Who."

"You let him go by himself?" Ron yelped.

"There was only enough Potion to let one person go through the fire safely, and we agreed that you need medical attention," Hermione explained.

HPHPHPHP

Ron and Hermione looked down at Harry's body.

"Such a draining experience – he probably won't wake for at least another day," Madam Pomfrey told them.

"_Another_ day?" Ron repeated, aghast. Gryffindor had already lost the Quidditch Cup, And he was supposed to go another day without his best mate? Hermione was nice, and all, but she was no Harry. Who knew the library had so many books?

HPHPHPHP

"So, what changed your mind about staying at Hogwarts?" Mrs Granger asked as her husband drove them home from the station.

"Well, Mum, Ron turned out to be not so insufferable after all," Hermione said evasively. "And I was doing so well in all my classes – better than most of my classmates, even the ones with magical parents.

"It's not nice to brag, Hermione," Mr Granger reprimanded his daughter.

"But it's true, Daddy," Hermione protested. "And I worked hard to get there too – some of the people with magical parents think that people who don't have magical parents, shouldn't be allowed to study and practice magic. So I had to prove to them that I could do it." _And I had to prove it to myself, as well._

**A.N: As you can see, I must have had a bit of a Hermione fetish. That, or she let me into her head the day I wrote this. (Strange, considering she's technically not my character…) I've decided to name the books 'Book I' 'Book II' etc., in the chapter titles for consistency, because of the _Philospher's Stone/Sorcerer's Stone_ thing which I hate. Being Australian, I spell things the British way, which is why 'colour' and 'mum' are spelt with a 'u'. Reviews are always appreciated.**


	19. Chapter 18

**Chapter #18 Missing Moments from Book II**

_**I think I'm the one attacking everyone, Tom!**_

'What would possess you to say that?'

Ginny didn't write back straight away. Something about what Tom had just written was a little odd.

'Ginny? Are you there?'

Ginny stared at the page, ink glistening still. Then she shut the book and started running.

_Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. I'll dump it in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. No one will look at it there._

Ginny lobbed the book with all her might down one of the toilets. As she fled, she heard Myrtle say, "Ouch!"

HPHPHPHP

Ginny walked to her normal alcove in the empty classroom, but what she saw there made her shriek.

Percy and that girl – Ginny couldn't remember her name but knew her to be a Ravenclaw Prefect – broke apart.

"Oops," said Ginny awkwardly. "I'll just go ... bye." She turned and fled the room.

HPHPHPHP

Ron read the note Harry passed him. _Let's do it tonight,_ Ron swallowed. Then he looked sideways at the empty seat usually filled by Hermione.

Why wasn't Hermione there? Because someone - or something - had Petrified her.

_Scum._

Ron would never admit it, but he missed Hermione. He missed her nagging him to do him homework. He missed her helping him to do his homework. He missed having meals with her. He missed her reading the _Prophet_ out loud every morning. He missed teasing her.

In short, he missed having her in his life.

He hated seeing her lying completely still on that bed, in that unnatural pose. It was most unlike her. She was always getting things done.

If this would help them find out who or what had Petrified her, Ron would do it. After all, Hermione had never thanked him for burping up all those slugs for her.

HPHPHPHP

Ron's arms ached. He had been shifting rock for what felt like two hours, but had really been about 10 minutes. The ominous crashing sounds and raised voices – _Voices? There's only Harry and Ginny down there – and what's that shrieking?_ – had stopped, and now a hauntingly beautiful song was being sung. Ginny's singing voice was good, but not that good. What was going on down there?

With a groan, Lockhart came to.

"Help me shift this rock, will you?" Ron asked irritably. Lockhart complied, shifting rocks with surprising strength. Ron idly wondered what Hermione would say if she could see her beloved teacher now.

HPHPHPHP

The first thing Hermione saw when she came to, was Ginny Weasley standing at the foot of her bed, her face ashen, her robes covered in muck and slime, and her fingers clenching the bed-post so tightly her knuckles were white.

"Are you alright?" Ginny asked urgently.

"A little stiff …" Hermione replied.

Without warning, Ginny burst into tears. "Oh, Hermione, I'm so sorry!" she wailed.

Hermione frowned, movement coming a little easier now that more time had passed since she had been force-fed that Potion. "What do you mean? You didn't Petrify me; a Basilisk did."

"I was controlling the Basilisk," Ginny sobbed. "But I swear, I didn't know, I didn't mean to – Tom was controlling _me_."

"Tom?" Hermione repeated. Why did that name ring a bell?

"My diary," Ginny answered. "I'm so sorry!"

"Tom Riddle?" Hermione pressed on, something falling into place.

Ginny nodded. "Harry told you?"

"He hasn't been to see me yet, nor's Ron. But they showed me the diary when I was in the Hospital Wing last. Wait – you were the one who trashed Harry and Ron's dorm?"

Ginny nodded. "I thought that Harry might have figured out how to work the diary, and that Tom might have told him all that I wrote in there – I really didn't want him to see some of that, Hermione!"

"Miss Weasley! Go back to your bed and finish your hot chocolate," Madam Pomfrey said sternly. "Miss Granger needs physiotherapy."

Hermione blanched. She knew, from having broken a leg when she was six, that physio was nothing like massage, which she had had one day when Mrs Granger had taken a holiday and taken her to a day spa in Brighton.

**A.N: I'm more happy with these missing moments than with the Lily/James part. I thought Lockhart had to help Ron move that rock (there's no way a twelve-year-old could have done all that by himself) and Ginny had to make peace with Hermione before they shared a room in the Leaky Cauldron in Book III. I know that there are more Missing Moments from this book (coughValentine'sDaycough) but I have a songfic as the next chapter which deals with it. As always, reviews are always appreciated.**


	20. Chapter 19

**Chapter #19 Will You Fall For Me? A Book II Missing Moment**

_My head's full of thoughts_

_Thoughts of you_

_And I'm distracted so easy_

_Thinking what to do_

_So unsure_

_So unfamiliar_

_Am I wrong to think_

_That something could happen?_

Ginny cringed as she remembered just how many small items she had broken, stepped on, tripped over and generally embarrassed herself in front Harry throughout the holidays. Ah well, now she was at school and had Tom to confide in, and she and Harry would have conflicting schedules so she wouldn't see so much of him anyway.

_Will you fall for me,_

_I need to know,_

_The way I'd like you to?_

_And baby, will you fall for me_

_The way I've fallen for you?_

"What are you writing, Ginny?" Fred asked. He and his twin sat down unceremoniously on either side of their little sister.

"You wouldn't want to read it," she said hastily, but George lifted the hands that covered the parchment and Fred snatched it. He rested the parchment on Ginny's head and he and George scanned it quickly. Ginny braced herself.

"You, ah, don't want to make it rhyme?" George asked.

Ginny glared at him. "I can't rhyme."

"Perhaps not," Fred agreed, "but Ron can. Oi, Ron!"

Ginny decided hastily that it was a good thing that Harry was out at Quidditch practice!

_I'm not acting like myself_

_I'm playing the role of someone else_

_And my heart's beating so fast_

_I can't stop it_

_And I'm so unsure_

_So unfamiliar_

_Am I wrong to think_

_That something could happen?_

Ginny smirked as she handed the final copy to the dwarf. After all, it had been a collaborative effort from three of her brothers. Not one word of it was hers. She could just laugh it off, her brothers would let Harry know it was a joke from them.

_Will you fall for me_

_The way I'd like you to?_

_Will you fall for me_

_The way I've fallen for you?_

The dwarf sat on Harry's ankles. It said something Ginny couldn't quite catch. Then it began to warble, hopelessly off-key.

"His eyes are as green as a fresh-pickled toad

His hair is as dark as a blackboard

I wish he was mine

He's really divine

The hero who conquered the Dark Lord."

Oh dear. It sounded so … bad. And Harry was looking straight at her. Oh no, she was blushing again. He thought she'd written it … oh dear. This wasn't going as planned.

That book he had in his hand looked awfully familiar, but it wasn't '_Flying With The Cannons_.' Oh no – it was the diary! How did he get the diary?

"I don't think Potter liked your Valentine very much," Draco Malfoy yelled after her.

Insufferable git.

**A.N: I wrote this long before JK Rowling announced that Ginny really did write the Valentine. Song is by Delta Goodrem, from her **_**Innocent Eyes**_** album. Reviews are always appreciated.**


	21. Chapter 20

**Chapter #20 Missing Moments from Book III**

"Oh Hagrid," sobbed Hermione. "It's not fair? So what if Crookshanks ate Scabbers? He's only a cat! Ron's been prejudiced against him since they met."

Hagrid sighed and poured his guest more tea.

"And now Harry isn't speaking to me either, just because I was trying to look out for his safety," Hermione ranted on.

Hagrid sighed again. "Teenage boys can be very cruel," he pointed out, "often without meaning it."

"But I thought our friendship was strong!" Hermione choked. "Oh, Hagrid, what will happen if something more serious comes between us?"

HPHPHPHP

"I'll help this time," Ron declared.

Hermione broke down. "Oh, Ron!" she cried ecstatically, flinging her arms around his neck.

_Uh-oh_, Ron thought, _this is supremely embarrassing_. Hoping she couldn't feel his … it, he patted her awkwardly on the head. He shot a 'help-me' look at Harry, who appeared to want to do anything but. In fact, the Boy-Who-Lived looked rather more like the Boy-Who-Wanted-To-Laugh.

Hermione drew away, wondering if that had been Ron's wand that had poked her. "Ron, I'm really, really, sorry about Scabbers," she sobbed.

HPHPHPHP

"How are you feeling?" Hermione asked tentatively. Ron was, after all, a fourteen-year-old male, and not likely to take such a question well.

"Physically? I'm fine. It's just a little hard to get my head around the fact that my pet was actually the man who betrayed my best mate's parents to their deaths … I had no idea that Scabbers was Pettigrew. Hermione, I guess I should apologise for …"

"It's OK, Ron," Hermione smiled. "I didn't know, either."

"Can I make it up to you?" Ron asked.

Hermione grinned, Ginny was a good friend and being Ron's little sister came in handy. "Next time we go to the Three Broomsticks, you have to –"

"Shout you a Butterbeer?"

"No," Hermione said smugly. "You're not getting off that easy. You have to not ogle Madam Rosmerta."

**A.N: This seemed much longer when I had it written out it longhand … I think my big, loopy handwriting is deceptive. Reviews are always appreciated!**


	22. Chapter 21

**Chapter #21 Missing Moments From Book IV**

The Weasleys were all sitting at their kitchen table, staring at the owl twittering and fluttering its wings in the middle of said table.

"He still needs a name," Mrs Weasley declared.

Ginny ruffled the tiny owl's feathers. "Pigwedgeon," she suggested.

Ron pulled a face and the Twins snorted. What kind of name was that, anyway?

"What?" Ginny said indignantly. "It's cute."

"Says you," Ron muttered. "It's my owl, Gin. I get to name him."

"Too late, little bro," Fred grinned, as the owl alighted on Ginny's finger at her calling the name of 'Pigwedgeon.'

"All right," Ron sighed. "But I'm shortening it to Pig."

Ginny poked her tongue out at him.

HPHPHPHP

"Ginny," said Ron, leaning on the doorframe to his sister's room, "who are you inviting?"

"I'm not inviting Luna Lovegood, if that's what you mean," Ginny said absently. "I was thinking of inviting Hermione."

"Okay, cool. Mum said dinner will be ready soon."

"Don't nag her," Ginny said, returning to her novel as Ron closed her door.

_Ginny is inviting Hermione. Thank Merlin. Now I don't have to fight for that ticket to get her here. When she sees this match, she'll love Quidditch._

HPHPHPHP

"He's facing – he's up against – he has to –" Ron spluttered as they made their way to two free seats near the back of the stand. "He has to face a _dragon_?"

Hermione sighed. "Yes, Ron."

"But that's so dangerous. He could get himself killed!"

Hermione frowned. "Is this concern over Harry or Krum?"

"Harry, of course," Ron said quickly. "Krum can take care of himself. They deal with darker stuff than dragons at Durmstrang."

Hermione raised her eyebrows as they took their seats. "So you're worried about him?"

"Of course," Ron replied. "Someone has to. Harry will be numb and he won't be able to think."

"Point 1: That won't stop him from getting scorched or trampled," Hermione pointed out. "And Point 2: Do you think _I'm_ not worried about him?"

"Bloody hell, no! I know you did a lot to help him. He and Neville have been singing your praises so much lately."

"Why would Neville – ?"

"Potions," Ron replied. The one word was enough of an explanation.

Diggory faced his dragon. Ron sat very still all the while, but when Hermione managed to tear her eyes away from the action in the arena below them, she noticed his eyes shifting focus all over the arena and his hands gripping the rail in front of them so tightly his knuckles were white.

And that was only for Diggory! Ron was going to have sore fingers later on. Fleur Delacour was his latest 'older woman' crush, Viktor Krum was his hero and Harry was his best mate. Ron was going to have _really_ sore fingers later on.

Ron was silent as Cedric went to the hospital tent. Then as Krum entered the arena to thunderous applause, he turned to Hermione and said haltingly, "Harry didn't put his name in that Goblet, did he?"

Hermione leaned forward as Krum was nearly scorched, and then she turned to Ron and answered him. "So you accept that, now?"

"You'd have to be pretty stupid to sign up for that," Ron declared, indicating the arena as Krum raised his wand.

HPHPHPHP

"We'd better get a move on," Ron was saying. "We don't want to end up with a pair of trolls."

_What __**is**__ he talking about?_ Hermione wondered. Then it dawned on her. Partners for the Ball. How … Ron.

"A pair of what, excuse me?" she spluttered. Was Halloween first year so far from his mind as that, to not remember … ooh, boys were so _stupid_.

"Well, you know," Ron shrugged. "I'd rather go alone that with … Eloise Midgeon, say."

_At least he didn't say you_, Hermione's inner voice, the one that often sounded like Ginny Weasley, said brightly. But that didn't erase the insult Ron had just directed to a very nice girl with an unfortunate acne problem. "Her acne's loads better lately – and she's really nice!" There she went, catering to his whims. Again. She really had to get a grip on herself. This couldn't be healthy for her studying, to be thinking of Ron. Even in his dress robes. _Get a grip, Granger_, spoke her other inner voice, the one that sounded like Pansy Parkinson. _You've seen his dress robes. They're terrible._

"Her nose is off-centre," Ron shrugged.

Harry was edging slightly away. Maybe he was Divining (snort) that she and Ron were about to have another little spat.

"Oh, I see. So basically, you're going to take the best-looking girl who'll have you, even if she's completely horrible?"

"Er, that sounds about right, yeah," Ron said matter-of-factly.

When did Ron Weasley turn into a pervert?????

"I'm going to bed," Hermione snapped. She didn't have to put up with this. She could study just as well in her dorm. It was quieter than the common-room, anyway. And Ron wouldn't be there, either. What was wrong with him, anyway? There were more important things in life than how a girl looks.

_Keep telling yourself that Granger_, said Parkinson's voice snidely. _One day you might actually believe it._

Hermione dumped her book-bag unceremoniously on the floor and flung herself onto her bed.

_Shuttup_, said Ginny voice.

HPHPHPHP

"I asked her to go with me just now," Harry said heavily.

Ginny stopped smiling.

Cho Chang. Cho Chang. Harry had asked Cho Chang to the Yule Ball. Cho Chang, the beautiful Ravenclaw Seeker. Merlin, the girl had it all. Beauty, brains, a love of Quidditch, and now Harry Potter's interest.

And she didn't want it! What was wrong with the world? Cho Chang didn't want Harry, that much was plain to see. Now, if Harry would only wake up and see that Ginny was the one he really wanted to go to the Yule Ball with.

No one, it seemed, would be going with who they appeared to want to. Hermione was going with Krum because Ron wasn't going to get up the gumption to ask her. Ron couldn't go with Hermione because Hermione was going with Krum. Harry couldn't go with Cho Chang because she was going with Cedric Diggory. Ginny couldn't go with Harry because she was going with Neville.

Ginny didn't need a crystal ball to predict that not one of them would really want to look back on the Yule Ball favourably.

HPHPHPHP

Ron knew that it was Hermione, dancing with Krum. Inwardly, he was seething.

But why was he seething? Why should Hermione Granger's date being someone else make Ron Weasley's blood boil? This didn't make sense … and the Imperius Curse couldn't force Ron into asking Hermione for an explanation.

Hermione appeared to be enjoying herself. Shouldn't Ron be a good friend, and be glad? He tried. He tried for all of 15 seconds. Ron didn't do patience.

This wasn't making sense. Ron watched Harry turn away from Chang and Diggory dancing, his expression dark. _Buck up, mate_. Ron sighed. He ought to take his own advice. He ought to be glad that Hermione was having fun, like a good friend.

But you haven't always been a good friend to Hermione, an annoyingly chipper voice in his head reminded him. You used to hate her, and look at what happened last year.

_I'm learning that things aren't always as they seem_, Ron informed the little voice. _Besides, Harry and I just got over our fight, and I don't want to smash Chang's face in for making Harry miserable._

Like you want to smash Krum's face in, because you want Hermione in your arms? The voice asked snidely.

_Where did __**that**__ come from? Hermione's my friend. I don't want to make things awkward between us._

Because she might not like you back?

_Don't go there._

HPHPHPHP

"How dare you?" Hermione shrieked. "How dare you accuse him of – of – of – ?"

"All I'm saying," Ron said heatedly as they scrambled through the portrait hole, "is that if Krum –"

"He has a first name, Ronald," Hermione snapped.

"Fine then. If _Vicky_ doesn't know what a good thing he's got, then that's 100 your business."

"Don't call him Vicky!" Hermione yelled. By now, they were standing about three metres (sorry, ten feet) apart at the feet of the stairs that led to their respective dormitories.

"I just thought you'd be smart enough to realise that you deserve better," Ron bellowed at her, his tongue running away with him before he could think, as usual.

"Well if you don't like it, you know what the solution is, don't you?"

"No, what's that?"

"Next time there's a ball, ask me before someone else does, and not as a last resort," Hermione shrieked at him. Oh, Merlin's beard, Harry was back. Hermione could feel her face burning, and before her own treacherous mouth could betray her further, she raced up the stairs to her dormitory.

Ron, however, turned to Harry, who looked as shell-shocked as Ron himself felt. "Well," he spluttered. "Well – that just proves – completely missed the point –"

Ron wondered why Harry looked so shifty. How much had he heard, anyway?

**A.N: The last scene was almost entirely my stand-alone story 'Yule Brawl' which I deleted. Some dialogue in that was taken from **_**Step Up**_**Reviews are always appreciated. Next chapter: a songfic between Hermione and Viktor. (I must have really liked Hermione…)**


	23. Chapter 22

**Chapter #22 Unfaithful, a Book IV Missing Moment **

_The reason that this guy is blue _

_The clouds are rolling in_

_Because I'm gone again_

_And to him I just can't be true_

No matter how hard she tried, Hermione simply couldn't fall in love with Viktor. He was nice, he was smart – she could hold an intelligent conversation with him, which was more than could be said for any of the Weasley brothers – he was a perfect gentleman. But he wasn't Ron.

Viktor was so … placid. You couldn't ruffle him. It was strange, but Hermione enjoyed arguing with Ron – after all, she was usually right, and it gave her such a kick when a male was wrong. She didn't have that with Viktor, that easy familiarity, the knowledge that they were merely jesting. Viktor was too methodical in his answers, and seemed to think that her every word was gospel.

_And I know that he knows I'm unfaithful_

_And it kills him inside_

_To know that I am_

_Happy with some other guy_

How Viktor could have thought that Hermione was in love with Harry, Hermione couldn't fathom. But there was another of whom Hermione often talked.

_I don't wanna do this anymore_

_I don't wanna be the reason why_

_Every time I walk out the door_

_I see him die a little more inside_

What did Viktor want to talk to her about, now? They had spent an hour by the lake the day before.

_I don't wanna hurt him any more_

_I don't wanna take away his life_

_I don't wanna be_

_A murderer_

"Hermy-own-ninny," Viktor said gravely. "Vill you vrite to me?"

'Hermy-own-ninny' blinked. _Is that all? _"Yes, of course. And you'll write back, won't you?"

Viktor nodded. "Vill you be coming to Bulgaria this summer?" he asked.

"I'll have to talk to my parents about it," Hermione said quietly. She thought it best not to mention that her parents were hardly likely to allow their only daughter to travel to another country to visit a famous, older man whom none of them knew very well.

_A lie I didn't have to tell_

_Because we both know_

_Where I'm about to go_

_And we know it very well_

It was much more likely that Hermione would visit Ron's family over the summer. Oh, why did everything always come back to Ron?

_'Cos he knows I'm unfaithful_

_And it kills him inside_

_To know that I am_

_Happy with some other guy_

Then again, Viktor hadn't asked Ron if he was involved with Hermione – not to Hermione's knowledge, anyway. And what Hermione didn't know, often wasn't worth knowing. After all, it was hardly the type of thing Ron was likely to keep close to his chest … not that he was very good at keeping secrets anyway. And here she was, back at Ron again. At least this time it was about a fault of his.

_I can see him dying_

_I don't wanna do this anymore_

_I don't wanna be the reason why_

_Every time I walk out the door_

_I see him die a little more inside_

_I don't wanna hurt him any more_

_I don't wanna take away his life_

_I don't wanna be_

_A murderer_

Hermione felt terrible as she made her way back to Harry and Ron. _But at least_, Ginny's voice pointed out, _you wouldn't have to feel awkward over not returning Viktor's interest, right_?

**A.N: This wasn't always a songfic, but then **_**Unfaithful**_** started to be played on the radio an awful lot (yes, that's how long ago I wrote this) and the lyrics started to jump out at me as being relevant to this situation, so it turned out the way it is now. The song is, of course, **_**Unfaithful**_** by Rihanna. Reviews are always appreciated.**


	24. Chapter 23

**Chapter #23 Missing Moments From Book V**

_Dear Hermione_

_Help! I think I'm going mad here. I'd love for you to come and visit. Fred and George are driving Mum barmy. Ron's moping around without you and Harry (do you know how he's coping? I'm sure he's feeling awful about the Triwizard thing) and Percy, well. Have you seen the _Daily Prophet_ lately? Percy believes it. He and Dad had a huge row – it was horrible. So Percy's moved out._

_On a happier note, Michael's letters have been lovely. (So have yours, of course, just in a different way. I hope eating that spider didn't upset Crookshanks terribly much.) Michael's holidaying at Brighton, the lucky bugger. I hope some babe in a bikini doesn't steal him away._

_Hoping to see you soon, lots of love,_

_Ginny._

"Mum? Can I go visit Ginny Weasley for a bit?"

HPHPHPHP

"Come on, Harry!" Hermione shrieked, as she and Ron were pushed towards the door in the tide of people. This was all her fault. How could she have not made totally sure that no one could rat on the D.A.? That spell she'd put on the sign-up sheet wasn't strong enough, not nearly strong enough. Ooh, when Hermione got near whoever it was that had SNEAK across their face …

"Hermione!" Ron poked her shoulder, startling her out of her reverie enough that she realised that they were no longer in the Room of Requirement, but hurtling along a corridor a few floors below.

"What?" she said, annoyed, rubbing her shoulder.

Ron gestured at the broom cupboard they were about to pass. "We'll never make in to the common room."

They dashed to the broom cupboard. Hermione jumped inside; Ron jumped in after her and closed the door behind him as quickly as he could.

Hermione blinked, trying to get used to the darkness. "You do realise that the Inquisitorial Squad _will_ look in here?"

"Yes," Ron said, and though Hermione couldn't see him, she knew that he was nodding.

"And what do you propose to do when that happens?"

Ron was silent for a moment. Then he said, "Oh, bloody hell."

"Don't swear," Hermione hissed.

"You, er, do know what students usually use broom cupboards for, right?" he inquired, voice cracking slightly.

"Well, yes, Ronald, I do, actually, because on our Prefect rounds we've certainly disturbed enough tryting couples – oh. Right. Well. Er –"

In later times, Hermione never could remember what she had been about to say next (so it was probably unimportant anyway) because Ron was kissing her.

_Ron's thoughts:_

_What was she going to say when they broke apart? Merlin, but he needed to start to look before he leapt._

_Sweet Merlin, where did she learn that?!_

And back to Hermione's POV …

He was a good kisser. Strange; considering his behaviour over Yule Ball partners, Hermione would have expected him to gloat about having kissed another girl … that wasn't a pleasant thought.

Goodness, who taught him that?!

Millicent Bulstrode deliberated over opening the broom cupboard. It was three floors below that strange studio-like room, and anyway, she'd only been told to check girls' bathrooms. But she opened the door anyway.

Ron and Hermione broke apart abruptly and blinked in the sudden light, Ron removing his hand from under Hermione's blouse.

"Circe, can you two _not_ snog where anyone might find you?" said Millicent brusquely, to cover her embarrassment.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Bulstrode," Hermione said sweetly. "Is this spot reserved for you and your pillow? How rude of us."

Millicent slammed the door shut. Thankfully, she was on the corridor side of it, and they heard her (anything but) fairy footfalls dying away up the corridor.

"Pillow?" Ron repeated.

"Don't ask," Hermione muttered. They shrugged their robes back on – how had they come off, anyway? – and were silent for a while, at least until Ron spoke.

"Er … look, I–"

"Can we just keep this between us?" Hermione interrupted. "If Harry found out, things would get extremely awkward and he's going through a tough enough time as it is, at the moment."

"Oh … okay."

Does he sound disappointed? Hermione wondered. Then she mentally kicked herself. He did it to get us out of trouble, she reminded herself. Why on earth would he fancy you?

"Hope I wasn't too pushy," Ron muttered as they exited the broom cupboard and headed towards Gryffindor Tower.

"You were fine," Hermione said quietly, and neither spoke again until they found themselves in front of the portrait hole, where Neville had forgotten the passwoard again.

HPHPHPHP

When Hermione came to, the first things she saw were two large blue circles surrounded by lots of smaller brown ones hovering over her face. She blinked, and the concerned face of one Ronald Weasley came into focus.

"Hello," she said. "Where am I? The last thing I remember was Dolohov cursing me –"

"You're in the Hospital Wing at Hogwarts," Ron told her. "So am I, for that matter. Since you're conscious, you're going to pull through."

"Well, that's a relief," Hermione remarked.

Madam Pomfrey interrupted them at this point to shoo Ron back to his bed, and to give Hermione about a dozen different, foul-tasting potions. When Hermione woke up again, it was night-time and Ron was beside her again, his face unusually grim.

"What's the matter?" Hermione demanded at once.

"Sirius is dead," Ron told her. "That nutter Bellatrix Lestrange killed him, right in front of Harry and half a dozen Order members.

Hermione's hands flew to her mouth. "Oh no," she breathed. "Poor Lupin. Poor _Harry_!"

Ron nodded. He came in to visit today, as soon as he heard you'd woken up, and told me about it."

"What about Ginny, and Neville, and Luna? Are they okay?"

"Oh, they're all fine," Ron reassured her. "Madam Pomfrey mended Ginny's broken ankle and Neville's bloody nose in a heartbeat.

Hermione had a feeling he hadn't used the adjective to cuss. "And you? You're all right?"

Ron shook back his sleeves to reveal angry-looking scars on his arms, like rope burns. "Madam Pomfrey says that thoughts can leave scars too." He shuddered, apparently involuntarily. "That was one malicious brain."

"How's Harry coping? With Sirius, I mean?"

Ron sighed. "Not too well. He isn't shouting, like he did when Diggory died. I think that his listlessness is worse." He grimaced. "You know how he's never been one to waste words? He's barely talking, right now. Ginny's keeping an eye on him; she says he's not eating much. There was treacle tart for dessert last night and he didn't even touch it."

Hermione stared at him. "But he loves treacle tart!"

"He loved Sirius," Ron reminded her gently. Then his voice changed to a snarl. "And Madam Pomfrey won't even discharge me so I can look after him!" Hermione could see his hands balled into fists.

"Talk to him about it, next time he comes in to visit," Hermione suggested. "It'd do him good to talk about Sirius."

Ron looked at her as though she had declared herself the apprentice of Filch, or maybe even Professor Trelawney. "He's not ready for that, Hermione. Maybe it'd be better just to leave him be, for now, at least. He'll talk when he's ready."

**A.N: I must have _really_ liked Hermione when I wrote this. Anyway. I'm not the first to write a Ron-and-Hermione-escape-the-I.S. scene, so if it's your idea, I hope I didn't maul it. I wrote that part in maths three years ago. Obviously, the class was absolutely riveting that day. The Ron-and-Hermione-in-the-Hospital-Wing scene I wrote very recently (just before **_**Across the Hall**_**, actually) and was inspired by Movie V, when Rupert/Ron just seemed to be looking out for Dan/Harry a whole lot more (the station scene where he stops him from attacking Tom/Draco, and that last deleted scene in the dormitory where he tries to say that he isn't hungry and then goes downstairs and shrugs at Emma/Hermione, in particular.) Reviews are always appreciated.**


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